A Matter of Leverage
by The Optimistic Scholar
Summary: Triple Threat No. 8-After surviving a battle royale in the Mountains of Mongolia and the Tasmin Sea, the Possible family is anxious to get back to a normal life...or as "normal" as can be for them. But Minnie's been hearing rumblings of the Seniors cooking up something big in Cali...but with none other than Motor Ed? WTF?
1. Chapter 1

Oh, the number of times Kim Possible had been in this medical room in the Middleton Medical Center. You never really thought about it until you had children of your own. And Kim had four! Gracie, Emily, Zoe, and Nicky; and even more, she had the greatest wife and soulmate anyone could ever hope for. Shego Possible was without question her rock, her greatest hero. This…all of this? Kim's life, despite a few rough spots that only a world saver could understand, was near perfect.

But it was the end result of one of those rough spots that found her and her eldest daughter in the hospital room on a day like today. The previous winter, Kim and Gracie had been in New Zealand at a Global Justice base when WEE had sprung an unusually sneaky trap. Kim and her brother Jim had been taken hostage and Gracie…Kim still had a hard time talking about it. Gracie had narrowly survived being shot down in the family hovercraft. Kim had been blissfully unaware of poor Gracie's predicament at the time; thank God. Kim…she…she wouldn't have been able to go on knowing that…and as it stood, Shego and GJ had ridden to the rescue just in time, Kim's green Goddess bearing witness to Kim's duel with her old rival Bonnie Rockwaller. And Shego had given Kim a fight song, no less.

The whole affair had left Kim with only a broken rib which had long since healed but…but Gracie had been far less fortunate, surviving several broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a concussion. But like a true Possible, Gracie had endured and worked her way through her recovery as few others could. Her friend Mary Tyler had practically spent the entire summer at the Palace and had accompanied her best friend to a number of doctor's visits for moral support. And Billy…Billy Murphy had been at her daughter's beck and call all summer.

But Grace Anne Possible had been fit to pop at the limitations imposed on her by her condition and had become not just a little insufferable in the home stretch of her recovery Where in the world had her daughter developed such a stubborn streak? Surely not from Kim's side of the family…

"Knock knock," Doctor Parker poked his head in and both the ladies turned expectantly.

"So…what's the word Doc?" Gracie managed a nervous laugh. "Will I ever play the saxophone again?"

"Well I'm afraid that little tidbit is beyond me," The doctor chuckled as he walked in and brought Gracie's test results up on the screen. "But all of your tests look fine. Body CT, x-rays, EEG, everything looks normal. Gracie Possible, I now pronounce you officially healed."

Oh thank Goodness; Kim could think of several people who would be thoroughly glad to hear that, least of all Shego. As Kim wrapped her daughter up in a congratulatory hug, she couldn't help but laugh at the memories. If you'd told 17 year old Kim that Shego would become the most doting mother she'd ever seen, she'd have said you were crazy. But even Mama Bear Shego had her breaking points, especially when Gracie had tried to climb out her bedroom window, just to get out of the house.

"Thank you so much Doctor Parker," Kim offered a handshake and it was heartily accepted. "The little fireball here was getting a little difficult."

Gracie let out an indignant squawk and glared daggers at her mother.

"No thanks necessary, Mrs. Possible," Doctor Parker assured her, shutting down the computer screen. "Let me see if I can get you two ladies discharged quickly."

"YEEEESSSSSSS," Gracie belted out a few minutes later as the pair exited the medical complex. "FREEEEDOOOMMMMM!"

At that, Gracie's pet naked mole rat, George, popped out of one of the pockets of her daughter's cargo pants, scampered up to Gracie's shoulder, and proceeded to join the celebration, attempting to perform a moonwalk while Gracie walked to the car.

"Alright you two," Kim sighed as she unlocked the family Chevy Traverse. "Settle down now. You can burn off that excess energy on the training grounds when we get home."

"No ice cream?" George squeaked as Gracie buckled herself in.

"Yeah," Gracie cheered. "I thought we got to get ice cream after the doctor."

"Young lady…that was when you were six," Kim couldn't help but roll her eyes as she pulled into traffic. "You're fifteen now."

"But…_sniff_…you and Momma always say I'll always be your little girl," Gracie gave a mock sniffle. "Please Mommy?"

She wasn't going to look! Kim knew darn well what was going on next to her. Gracie was pulling out the big guns, deploying the dreaded PDP, better known as the Puppy Dog Pout. As much as Kim hated to admit it, that little gem was all Kim's genes. But…well how was she to know that someone could've taken Kim's most potent weapon for manipulating her parents as a kid and…well, Shego as an adult, and turn it against Kim herself?

"Oh please, Mother of mine that I love so much?"

She was losing control and she knew it. Kim could feel her head turning, almost as if under a spell. And then, BAM! She caught the look full in the face and the mother's will crumbled like the walls of Jericho.

"FINE," Kim gasped in surrender. "Well get you that ice cream! Just put that away!"

"Thank you, Mom."

_God_, Kim prayed. _You're teaching me a lesson, aren't you? I mean, this is just plain wrong! I…I can't think of…if this IS a lesson, please make my grandchildren just as skilled at this art of warfare as my daughter has become_.

_What are the odds Mom uttered that same prayer? You're probably loving this irony. Aren't you, Mom?_

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"NICHOLAS ANDREW POSSIBLE, YOU COME BACK HER THIS INSTANT AND GIVE ME THAT KETCHUP BOTTLE!"

It was like living with the world's smartest animal; and it was driving Shego INSANE! She loved her son with all her heart, REALLY she did. But either Nicky's "Terrible Twos" were happening in spades or Shego had best petition the Vatican for an exorcism. WHAT in Heaven's name did Nicky find so fascinating about the fridge? And how was he able to always get the darn thing open despite being a good four inches shorter than the door?

"Momma…uh…" Emily's mossy green locks appeared over the balcony at the top of the stairs.

"What…_gasp_…what is it, honey?"

"Uh…Mom and Gracie just pulled in."

"Thanks," Shego gasped as she dove for the ketchup bottle as it left Nicky's hands, snagging it before it shattered all over her nice clean floor. "Could you please…_gasp_…help me with your brother?"

Shego had just replaced the bottle in the fridge, seriously considering the merits of having Wade install a retinal scanner lock, when Kim and Gracie entered through the kitchen door. Her wife of nearly sixteen years took in the scene, a thoroughly exhausted Shego leaning against the fridge, one of her daughter's wrestling to get her squirming little brother up the stairs, and just burst out laughing.

Why that little…Kim gave her wife her best daggers look and…and that only made Kim laugh harder. Oh sure; the little Princess could yuck it up now but tonight was HER shift to give Nicky a bath and put him to bed

"Good news from the doctor, Muffin?" Shego sighed, planting a kiss on her daughter's pale green cheek.

Kim took a deep breath as the laughter finally subsided and grabbed a chair to steady herself. "Our daughter's as healthy as a horse," She replied as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Shego's lips. "What did Nicky swipe from the fridge now?"

"The ketchup," Shego moaned, slumping into a chair at the table. "I don't know what's wrong with that boy."

As only a teenager could, Gracie quickly disappeared to her room, likely to fill her friends in on her prognosis, leaving the older set alone in the kitchen.

"Want something to take the edge off?" Kim offered, heading to the fridge and removing the pitcher of blood orange soda and placing it under the cupboard.

Had their fates been different, had Kimmie not been pregnant in high school and gone on to college under…well…normal circumstances, the spunky redhead would've made a bar tender worthy of Flanagan's Cocktails and Dreams. She could make a Ruby Relaxer like no other. But…no, things were most definitely not so severe that Shego needed a drink. Now that she had managed to get between the little stinker and the fridge…it was a LITTLE funny, looking back on it. "Nah, I DO love my little boy. I'll save the drinking for when he starts dating. Could I have a shoulder rub though?"

Kim was only too happy to oblige. According to her wife, Shego was certainly the one with the "magic fingers" in the family, not that being able to heat her own flesh to tackle the most troublesome knots didn't provide her an edge. But Kimmie was most definitely no slouch in that department. Kim downed her soda and got up behind her wife, flexing her fingers.

Ohhhhhh…that hit the spot! Shego could feel Kim's strong hands just melting the knots away as they danced across the older woman's shoulder blades. She'd have to rely on her wife's back rubs a lot in the coming weeks. After almost sixteen years of teaching, Shego Possible had long since developed a reliable routine for getting through the first few weeks of school but this year, she'd had a few US History classes thrown into the mix and…well…qualified or no, she was still nervous. No matter how old you got, fear of screwing up could still get to you.

"So where are the twins?"

"Ah, Emily just took Nicky upstairs," Shego sighed contentedly. "I swear, it is amazing how good natured and tolerant he is with those two. If either of my older siblings ever tried HALF of what the girls get away with with Nicky…" She let the sentence trail off. "So...everything went well at the doctor?"

"God bless those meta-human genes you passed on," Kim heaved a sigh, taking a break to get the feeling back in her digits. "I…I am just so glad that horrid affair is behind us."

Shego tensed up. She'd caught that catch in her wife's breathing. New Zealand HAD been a trial on their family. She'd been the first to see Gracie in her condition and…and Shego had witnessed Kim square off against her original adversary in a katana battle that would put any kung-fu movie to utter shame. Her and Kim renewing their vows had been a welcome distraction from it all but once the family settled into Gracie's recovery period, Shego wasn't alone in seeing how difficult a time Kim was having. Shego and Kim had no secrets between them but…why was Kim so hesitant to talk about it? Did she somehow blame herself for what happened to Gracie? Shego would've given Gracie the exact same orders in that situation so…how could Kim have known what that ship was capable of…or that the little bugger could even fly to pursue Gracie?

Shego turned in the chair, to Kim's surprise, and wrapped her own arms around the shorter woman. "Kimmie…Princess…you know you can tell me anything, anything at all, and I will do whatever is in my power to make it feel better. Are you doing okay with everything that happened? Is there anything you want to talk about, with me or Abby or Mom or…"

"Oh Eme, I'm fine," Kim planted a little kiss on the tip of Shego's nose. "Really, I am. I…I'm just so glad that Gracie is finally better; any one that you can walk away from, right?"

Well…not the response Shego was hoping for. As much as she wished to the contrary sometimes, Shego certainly couldn't force her wife to divulge anything. But Kimmie would come around in her own time. She always did. And when she did, Shego would be there with a pair of shoulders to cry on, no waiting.

"So who was that on the phone this morning?" Shego slid back around, changing the subject. "Wade calling with a mission?"

"Nothing concrete," Kim replied, reapplying her efforts to a particularly troublesome knot. "Minnie's been picking up rumblings that the Seniors might be gearing up for something. Wade said he'd keep us posted and let us know if anything comes up. Good thing too. I was starting to think Mongolia had scared everybody off. Being just an award winning author was getting to be a little boring."

"And I suppose being JUST my wife has become a barrel of yawns now too?" Shego shrugged off Kim's hands and got into a kneeling position on the chair, once again facing her wife.

"Well, ignoring the fact that you're a meta-human who can hurl balls of flaming plasma…which most of the rest of the world would find to be anything but," Kim attempted a little nibble at Shego's ear lobe. "You're a new surprise every day. What about me? Am I getting boring?"

"Eh, maybe a little," Okay…Shego couldn't help herself sometimes and she KNEW she'd pay for that little comment.

"SHEGO!" Kim squawked in indignation.

"Oh you know I'm kidding," Shego planted a kiss on Kim's forehead. "People find plasma slinging far from boring? Well I'm fairly certain they feel the same about a woman who sets fire to the counter top while trying to make toast!"

"Ha…point taken, Eme; so we're doing pretty good for almost sixteen years of marriage?"

"Are you kidding me, Princess? We're doing great!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"We…we don't know what to do, Mr. Spencer. Charlie and I…my brother and I had every dime the two of us had, sunk into that custom shop, picking up where our Dad left off and making it a success. Charlie had been designing this new muscle car that…well…he said it would make Carrol Shelby sit up in his grave and applaud. I mean, this was one of those opportunities that, at least Charlie thought, comes along once in a generation! It's something that completely revolutionizes your field. And Charlie and I decided to make the move and build the car. We had to mortgage the shop but even then, we could only get so far. Then, out of nowhere, this super suave Ricardo Montalban type guy, says his name is 'Senior' if you can believe that, shows up and agrees to finance us for the last leg, says he has an eye for talent and he had a few experts lined up to give us a boost. He claimed that he might also be able to discourage some 'specific competition'. I…I had my doubts but Charlie…he wanted so bad to complete the car that he begged me. So I caved. We signed the paperwork the next day. The following night, Charlie goes in to check the garage only to find the doors forced open and someone making off with the master plans and…"

"It's okay," Elliot replied. "Believe me when I say that it's going to be okay."

"Charlie made a move to stop the guy and…and now he's in the hospital with a concussion. He can't work on the car, I can't handle the store by myself and…can't afford to hire anymore help. What are you going to do? Hell, what can ANYbody do? Now…now the bank is about to call in the mortgage and…and we'll lose everything. Damn it; I TOLD Charlie that we shouldn't have trusted that guy. Now…what can you do? Hell, what can ANYBODY do?"

"Well Mr. Hoffman, this is a fairly classic story. The rich and powerful take whatever they want. My associates and I…we take it back. We provide…Leverage."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Leverage Inc. had called a number of cities home and had worked in a number of buildings with tech that would make even the best hackers giddy with excitement. But while technology was far from his "thing", Elliot Spencer could appreciate the toys that Hardison had to play with here, especially with the mission they now had at hand. The Hutton case had struck Elliot more than most other cases. Call it growing up in small-town Oklahoma but the hardened mercenary, hitter, and now urban Robin Hood had a soft spot for "mom and pop" shops, especially ones that passed from parent to child. His own father had operated such a facility. Spencer Hardware had been the best hardware store in three counties in any direction. Even if he and Dad weren't exactly on speaking terms right now…he'd do anything to help stores like that. Just like Value More, whatever this one took, Elliot was prepared to do.

"So is it safe to say that we're all thinking the same thing?" He sighed, sinking into his chair as Hardison brought up the holo-projector.

"The Huttons weren't the first ones to be hit," Their tech guru began, highlighted portions of the Pacific coast appearing. "All along the coast, it's been the same story. Raul Senior has been buying up promising up-and-comers in automotive engineering, all people that are tops in their field but still in financial trouble. And at ever location, after Senior swoops in with his Ricardo Montalban routine, somebody who seriously knows what to look for, sneaks in and takes what they want, no matter who gets in their way. Some just get roughed up…others wind up at the morgue."

This wasn't good. Nate had talked about guys like this. Raul Senior, Drew Lipsky, these guys weren't ordinary white collar criminals. Leverage had only every come across marks like this…Elliot could count the number of times on one hand. The way Nate and Sophie talked about these guys…they were like ghost stories you told around the campfire. Whenever one of them would show their face, Nate put them through the ringer preparing. Sophie…Sophie was like a dozen different people. And Nate…those times were the only ones the team couldn't blame Nate for wanting to drink.

"I hacked CCTV footage at all of the locations and the hitter looks to be this guy, Edward Lipsky, goes by the…"

"Motor Ed," Elliot sighed, rubbing his temples. "Top of his class at MIT, the original grease monkey; the guy's a joke but…he's not a hitter. What these two are doing working together…" He looked at Hardison and Parker. They WERE thinking the same thing. This was out of their league and as much as they wanted to leave them in peace…Nate and Sophie were the only ones who could handle something like this.

_Author's Notes:_

_Yep, it's a Leverage Crossover. Partial thanks has to go to NoDrogs for the inspiration but I always wanted to explore the actual characters interacting with Kim, kind of in a mentor role. Look for more information about Kim's connection to the modern day Robin Hood organization in the later chapters._

_Kim Possible and all characters associated with that name are the copyrighted property of the Disney corporation and the intellectual property of Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle._

_Leverage and all characters associated are the copyrighted property of Electronic Entertainment and the intellectual property of John Rodgers and Chris Downey_

_Grace Anne Possible, George the Naked Mole Rat, and Abigail Normal are the intellectual property of Poetheather1._


	2. Chapter 2

"So enjoy your night off," Shego sighed, taking the seat behind her desk, anticipating the bell. "Because tomorrow, we begin the real work."

…_RRRRIIIIIINNNNNGGGG…_

"That's all folks."

The final class of the day filed out of the classroom, leaving the seasoned teacher alone in the classroom. And so began another school year, full of optimism and promise. Shego's English classes were practically second nature by now and she was confident in her preparations for her history classes…at least enough that she wouldn't SERIOUSLY screw up. Still, a teacher's work was never done. It wasn't just the students that would be getting to work. Yearbook prep, department schedules; the students' day was over but Shego still had a mound of documents to be copied, a department meeting in ten minutes…and believe it or not, she felt great being back in school! Apart from being married to a redheaded bombshell and having the four best children in the world, Shego's greatest exploits would always be in the classroom.

"Hey Momma," Speaking of children, Gracie popped her head into the classroom.

"Hey Muffin; good first day?"

"Spankin," Gracie cheered, setting her book bag onto an empty desk. So much like her Mother, Gracie had quite a workload and despite classes, choir and band practice, and church activities, Shego's daughter was still looking to add another activity to her repertoire. Thank God Gracie didn't appear to be interested in cheerleading though! That would've just been too much for Shego's maternal heart to take. "You ready to go?"

"Ah, sorry Gracie," Shego sighed. "I've got a department meeting in five minutes."

"So not the drama," Gracie assured. "It okay if Mary and I go shoot some hoops?"

"Go ahead," Shego smiled. "I'll call your communicator when I'm ready."

_Maybe that would be worth pursuing_, Shego thought to herself as Gracie disappeared to hunt up her best friend. Billy and Jimmy played on the JV team and had gotten Gracie and Mary into the sport as well. Shego was definitely no expert on the sport, not being one for really ANY sports or after school activities at Gracie's age, but Gracie sure seemed to take to the sport like a duck to water. Maybe Gracie would go out for the ladies' JV team. _Colleges always like applicants to be well rounded_. Gracie WAS Shego's daughter after all. And Shego was supremely confident that her daughter would succeed at whatever she put her mind to.

Quickly the English department faculty filed in and Shego's mind turned to other things.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Possible gets the ball. She jumps back," The ball sailed out of Gracie's hands towards the basket. "AND SHE SCORES!"

Another school year was upon them and Gracie still had energy reserves to burn. It almost made the bouts of cabin fever over the summer worth it…ALMOST. It did help that Gracie was finally able to train again. And as weird as it sounded, she'd even kind of missed classes. She had a fair and challenging work load this year. Her injuries the previous semester however had forced her to push team sports to this year. But at least she had Mary to do it with her.

"This is going to be a dramatic come back," Mary shot back as she grabbed the ball from under the hoop.

"I'd say she still stands a chance," a voice behind them mentioned.

Both girls jumped, turning around to spot the intruder. Both relaxed when it proved to be only Coach Schwartz, the PE teacher and varsity boys basketball coach. Wow…Gracie hadn't even heard him approach. Good thing the 'rents hadn't seen it; otherwise, Momma would've never let her live it down. She must've been REALLY in the zone.

"Oh, hey Coach Schwartz," Gracie breathed, kneeling down to catch her breath.

"Please don't let me stop you," He replied, clapping at their performance. "You two have quite a set of skills between the two of you. You know, my wife coaches the girls JV team. You two ever thought about trying out?"

Trying out for JV? Indeed, Gracie hadn't considered it. Basketball was kind of a new passion, only a few months ago, really for fun as much as anything else. Their respective boyfriends were on the boys team and they'd often commented on Gracie and Mary's increasing skill but both ladies had thought it sweet talk, something neither Billy nor Jimmy were without a record of.

Coach Schwartz must've seen the two having a wordless conversation and spoke up again. "Well, I hope you'll consider it. You both work hard, I don't see any reason why you both couldn't make varsity next year."

"Varsity?" Gracie gasped.

"Us?" Mary mimicked.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"THIS IS SO UNFAIR!"

Well…that could've gone far better. Shego kept her mouth shut while the two redheads had it out. Shego was pleased to find out she wasn't the only one to notice Gracie's rising interest in basketball as Mary and Gracie had informed her in the car that Tom Schwartz was convinced that the girls were a shoe-in to make the JV team…and both girls were only too enthusiastic to try out at the end of October. And Shego had readily offered her blessing on Gracie's endeavor…provided that she got Kim's too. And that was where the trouble started. Gracie burst into the house, brimming with enthusiasm and virtually dragged the two older women into the living room to make her sales pitch…and Kim was against it? Gracie had made it through her argument and Shego could see the look in her wife's eyes. This was about to turn sour.

"Gracie, you've got enough on your plate as it is," Kim replied to Gracie's departing back.

…_SLAM…_

Kim whirled around and Shego was trapped in her wife's gaze, the gaze that had made many a misbehaving child wither in defeat. But Shego wasn't about to be budged. She'd actually said very little in the conversation, especially when tempers flared. Kim and Shego, for better or worse, always tried to present a united front and Shego wasn't about to undercut Kim in front of Gracie…but Kim was just wrong in this instance. Something more was going on here and Shego WAS going to find out what it was.

"Apparently a little support is too much to ask for," Kim barked, storming past her wife, back to the kitchen. "I mean, our daughter has only JUST gotten cleared after…after surviving a crash!" She paused over the sink and Shego saw Kim's hand snake up to the Cross she wore around her neck, a match to the one Shego wore, a mutual present on their 11th anniversary. "She's got a work load that some adults would find tough…and you support adding to it?!" Over the years, both women had long since gotten to the point where they could read the tone in each other's voice…and that little catch in Kim's breathing made Shego shoot off the sofa and face her wife's now tear streamed face. "I…we…we nearly lost our…"

Shego readily wrapped her arms around her wife and held her close. Kim WAS having problems with Auckland. It was still clear as day in Shego's memory how Kim had nearly collapsed when she heard the extent of Gracie's injuries…and Shego had THOUGHT that Kim had come to terms with it but…clearly that wasn't the case. "In her own time" be damned; this was…Kim needed help!

"Shhhhh," Shego rubbed her wife's back soothingly. "But she WAS cleared, Princess. Our daughter thought fast, remembering what you and I taught her, and she survived. NONE of this was your fault. I swear to you that I would've ordered Gracie out of there just the same…and she'd have gone back to check on me too. We can't shut her off from the world every time she's injured. Mom and Dad sure didn't do that for you and I am supremely thankful. As much as I want to sometimes, we can't lock our daughter in an ivory tower…and frankly I don't think she'd let us. She IS our daughter after all." Shego could hear the sobs lessening and squeezed her wife tighter. "And if this proves too much for Gracie, well…that's a lesson she has to learn for herself," Shego lifted her wife's head up and snagged a tissue from the counter, dabbing and Kim's tears and running mascara. "I promise you that everything…every ONE in our family is going to be okay."

"I…_sniff_…I'm sorry Shego. I…"

"It's okay," Shego assured, planting a tender kiss on Kim's ruby lips. "Although admittedly, the overprotective Momma Bear shtick is my territory…" Shego _ooffed _ as Kim poked her in the ribs, eliciting a small giggle from the redhead.

"Very funny," Kim shot back, regaining her composure for the most part. Well…her wife really was adorable after a cry. After almost sixteen years together, it was almost like she was still just a little embarrassed to display that level of emotion in front of the older woman. "I guess I…was a little over-protective. I better go talk to Gracie…"

"You better let me handle the teenager," Shego caressed Kim like she had all those times Kim had needed it over the years and turned towards the stairs. "I'll smooth things over and send her down."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Sometimes it was just hard to be a parent. Just how hard was a lesson that Kim always seemed to be still learning. She'd…she'd THOUGHT that she'd made peace with Gracie's accident. She'd been the one to take Gracie to all her appointments. She'd thought that would…maybe it would help her get over it? The first few weeks, just watching her daughter sleep, content that Gracie was somewhere safe and warm…but…but maybe she should book some time with the GJ therapist. She'd met with Dr. Archibald on a few occasions and the old Welshman had indeed been a help with some of the…less than conventional missions. He was just that kindly old man that was always ready to listen.

Kim was quickly pulled out of her musings by the chirping of the Kimmunicator. Kim snaked the little device, loaded it into the kitchen docking station, and accepted the call, revealing Minnie Load on the screen. "Hey Minnie; what's up?"

"Oh…is…is this a bad time, Kim? I…I could call back."

It took Kim a minute to recognize what Minnie was talking about. She HAD been crying and her eyes were likely still bloodshot. Why hadn't Kim thought of that? "No, it's okay. Gracie and I had a little disagreement and…things got a little emotional. Not really the drama; she's trying to talk us into letting her try out for the basketball team and…I kind of went Momma Bear on her. But like I said, everything's good now. What's up?"

"Oh snap; basketball too? Girl, that kid is your daughter to a T," Minnie let out a small chuckle. "Anyway, I've got an update on the Seniors. You interested?"

"You know it, girlfriend. What do you have?"

"The seniors are on the West coast," Minnie reported, bringing up a series of photos on the screen. "Whatever they've got going on, it's got something to do with racing. Over the last four months, Raul's been able to get his hands on several promising auto-shops that specialize in high-performance vehicles. And some of the stuff these garages were working on at the time was quite impressive. We're talking 'Steve Jobs in his garage' potential here."

"Which means those shops weren't likely obtained very honestly," Kim guessed. That would be just like Raul to swoop in on an up-and-comer and steal their work right out from under them with a contract or some other corporate dodge. It reminded her of the days when she and Ron were just starting out…and had their bacon saved by her mentor Nate Ford and Leverage Inc. It was exactly the kind of thing they fought to stop.

"Well…that's the strange thing. The projects that were being worked on…they were stolen before Raul or Junior ever made a claim on them."

But…what was Raul doing getting into street racing though? Junior went through plenty of phases and fads and Daddy was certainly prone to provide it but…no…no, the Seniors weren't acting alone in this. Of that, Kim was fairly certain. But if they weren't working alone…anything associated with high-performance ANYTHING would have to have Motor Ed's motor oil streaked fingerprints all over it.

"Send me the details on each of the shops and exactly how Raul got his hands on them. I'll head out to San Diego and take a look tomorrow. Also, see if you can track down Motor Ed's whereabouts while you're at it."

"You think the grease monkey's involved?"

"My gut says so," Kim smiled. Man, this was her first mission in months! Kim could never quite regret being quiet…but part of her was kind of hoping for some action and SOON! "I'll call you back tomorrow once I land."

The screen winked out and a loud "AHEM" jolted Kim around. Shego and Gracie stood just outside the kitchen, Gracie looking supremely hopeful that Shego hadn't been messing with her. Damn it; Shego WAS right. Gracie had always whined about all the times Kim had told her to know her limitations and…that was something she DID need to learn on her own. Gracie was an excellent student and seemed to manage her time well. Kim could at least give her daughter the benefit of the doubt and let Gracie give it a shot.

"Okay," Kim heaved a sigh and took a seat at the kitchen table, motioning for Gracie to take the seat next to her. "I…Gracie, I…I guess I'm…look; so long as your grades don't slip and you're not overwhelmed, I guess it's okay if you try out."

The young teenager took off like a monkey from a box, wrapping her arms around Kim, showering the elder Possible with "thank yous". You'd have thought that Kim had just given Gracie her blessing to get married…ARGH; new thought, new thought!

"So was that the Kimmunicator?" Shego asked, helping the two redheads apart and kissing her daughter on the cheek.

"More on the Seniors," Kim replied, getting up and moving to the fridge to get a drink. "Raul's gotten his hands on a series of high-performance auto-shops on the west coast and some of the projects being worked on were stolen within days of the transaction. I've got a hunch Motor Ed is involved too but I'm not sure exactly what their play is yet."

"Ooooh, that mean we have a mission tomorrow?"

"Well it means I do," Kim smirked, pouring herself some orange juice. "You've got school tomorrow, young lady."

"Yeah Mom," Kim nearly snorted orange juice out the nose. They'd only made up a matter of minutes ago and her little scamp of a daughter was already trying to suck up?

"YOU can just shush, young lady," Shego barked. "That is unless you'd like to cook dinner for yourself tonight? While the rest of us dine on chorizo frittatas?"

Leave it to Shego to try to bribe the girl with Mexican food.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

The warm salty air was a welcome feeling as Nate ford emerged onto the porch to greet the day. And what a day it was. It was a stellar sunrise over the pacific; the weather as was usual for Hawaii, was near perfect. He'd been skeptical in the beginning of his wife, Sophie's, choice of places to establish a home but after a few years, it truly felt like home. And you just couldn't beat waking up to such surroundings every day.

But it had become even more like a home eight years ago when nature had decided to really throw the newlyweds a curve ball…and little Eliza. Neither of them had expected or planned on children, Nate had been fast approaching fifty at the time and Sophie quickly approaching her "time". But like the proverbial engine that could, the stars had aligned to give the couple Eliza Patricia Ford. And from that moment the couple laid hands on her, they'd been a trio and proud of it.

"Morning Daddy," Nate's ears picked up a small voice behind him and turned to see his daughter, clad in her favorite Kim Possible pajamas, step to his side.

"Hey there Lady Bug," He cheerfully hefted the eight year old into his arms and planted a kiss on her rosy cheek. "You're up kind of early. What gives?"

"I'm hungry," She stated very matter-of-factly.

"Oh, you're hungry, are you?" Nate chuckled as he twirled her around. If only his bones weren't telling him this wasn't to last. "Well, let's see what we can dig up for my growing girl."

Father and daughter retreated to the kitchen. Polishing off his first cup of coffee, Nate set Eliza in her special chair at the counter and got to work. Since retirement, Nate had become fairly adept at cooking and soon had a pan of scrambled eggs done and was spooning a helping onto Eliza's plate when Sophie emerged from the bedroom, heading straight for the coffee pot.

"Morning all," She sighed, filling a cup and taking several swallows.

Even fresh out of bed, Nate couldn't help but stare. At 48 years of age, Sophie Ford (nee Devereaux) was a breathtaking beauty and knew it. Nate knew only too well that despite being to outward appearances a suburbanized Mom, Sophie was still every inch the skilled grafter that Nade had spent many of his early years squaring off against and later seeking justice alongside. Creeping up behind her, Nate couldn't help but give her still oh so shapely rear a little pinch, eliciting a squeak from his wife.

"Why Nathan Henry Ford," She put on a look of mock shock. "What on Earth would make you think I'm that kind of girl?"

"Oh…Barcelona, Chicago, Istanbul," Nate teased. "St. Petersburg was VERY educational."

"NOT," Sophie leaned in and planted a kiss on her husband's lips "In front of our daughter, you scoundrel." Both smiled and leaned in to share a hug. "My meeting at the theater might run long. Can you take Eliza to Pixie Scouts? Sandra said she'd cover for me as troop leader."

Sophie leading a Pixie Scout troop; Nate still had trouble believing it sometimes. Those kids would be the first troop to employ the White Van Speakers to sell their muffins. But…Sophie had taken to motherhood like a duck to water and NEVER missed a chance to spend time with their daughter, neither of them did.

The trio had breakfast together and Eliza scampered off to get ready for school with Sophie not far behind. As per his routine when it wasn't his turn to get Eliza ready, Nate loaded the dishes into the sink, poured himself another cup of coffee, and settled into the living room to watch the morning news. He had just powered on the set when instead of Sandra Cho on Channel 7, a video call from San Diego was plastered across the screen. San Diego? If memory served, wasn't that where Elliot, Hardison, and Parker had set up Leverage Inc.? The team seldom ever spent longer than three years in any particular city, sometimes out of choice and sometimes not. But either way, it had been too long since both sides had visited the other and Nate was only too glad to answer the call.

"Elliot," Nate cheerfully greeted as his old subordinate's image appeared on screen. "We were beginning to think you'd forgotten about us."

As usual when the name was spoken in the house, Eliza quickly darted out of her room, a flustered Sophie following behind with a hair brush, everyone only too glad to see old friends again.

"UNCLE ELLIOT!" Eliza cried in excitement, leaping over the sofa and landing next to Nate.

"Hey, there's my favorite munchkin," Elliot smiled and waved to the admirer. Ever since she could walk, Eliza followed Elliot around like a puppy and of course, Elliot absolutely doted on his surrogate niece. "You stayin out of trouble?"

"Yes I am," she stated proudly, oblivious to the fact that both parents were rolling their eyes. The not at all troublesome Eliza Ford had conveniently left out the fact that both Nate and Sophie having to come into school last week after Eliza had managed to give two other children bloody noses on the playground, both without even laying a finger on them. Both of the children had something of a reputation as bullies and at least half a dozen other children AND some of the recess attendants claimed that Eliza had been sticking up for a smaller child. Eliza hadn't been punished but the whole event had led to a very interesting talk with the school principal.

"Elliot, I wish we could talk more but I have to get this one's hair even slightly presentable and then we need to get going. Give Parker and Hardison my best."

"So how's San Diego treating 'the business'?" Nate asked, half joking. Nate had every confidence that the "Three Musketeers" would keep Leverage flourishing no matter where they were.

"That's…kind of why I called," Elliot's voice took on a serious tone. "We caught a mark that…well…the target kind of goes back a long way, someone you've been dealing with since before you started Leverage."

A repeat mark? That was intriguing, and one that Nate had apparently been dealing with since his days at IYS? That boiled down to maybe a half dozen people, nearly all of them going past corrupt white-collar criminals to flat out supervillains. One of them had been Shelia Gordon, better known to the rest of the world as Shego. But she'd long since gone straight…well, in most ways but one and had made an honest woman out of a very good friend of his, was raising four kids, and was working as a high school English teacher no less.

"Okay Elliot; you've officially got my curiosity. Who are you going after?"

There was a long paus before Elliot finally breathed the name. "Raul Senior…and on top of that, Hardisan thinks Senior's got Ed Lipsky doing his dirty work."

Nate nearly choked on his coffee! It was enough of a surprise to come across Raul again but…Raul and Ed Lipsky working TOGETHER? Were there two more polar opposite people than the Brazilian sophisticate and the down and dirty grease monkey with nitrous oxide in his veins?

"Wow…uh…" Nick swallowed hard, finally getting his coffee down.

"I know. Now, we can handle Lipsky easily but…Raul Senior...he's…well, he's like nothing the three of us have ever gone after. As far as I can see, the only ones that have the skills necessary to get close to Senior and to land a serious blow are you and Sophie. Nate…man, I know you're retired…and you know that I wouldn't ask this of you two unless I had to but…we need you back."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Thank the maker Eliza had gone right to sleep. Sophie frequently spent the better part of an hour trying to get her daughter to bed. But now…something was up. She knew Nate well enough to know when something was on his mind. Something had happened after the lady folk had left and Nate seemed desperate to get it off his chest. Taking a seat in their spacious kitchen, a bottle of non-alcoholic wine between them, Sophie was ready.

"Elliot needs us back."

So that was it. You didn't spend as much time together, endure as much heartache and triumph, as Leverage Inc. had and not keep in touch. It was always a joy to hear from Elliot, Hardison and Parker. But by now, they'd readily accepted that she and Nate were out for good. So…for Elliot to call them back? That could only mean a job of the utmost importance…or the team was in serious danger.

"What…what's the job?"

"Raul Senior Senior."

It would've HAD to be one of them to make her husband this tense. The Seniors were utterly ruthless when it came to business, making some of their past marks look downright charitable. She'd crossed paths with Raul on several occasions, largely in her earlier days when trying to fence a big score. Him, Monty Fiske, Drew Lipsky, they were all an entirely different class of criminal, one that Nate and Leverage had groomed their youngest member for, and seen her succeed against time and again.

"Are you…considering taking it?" She asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. To even get close to him would take the absolute best grifter in the business."

"Flattery will only get you so far in life, Mr. Ford. We're retired and have an eight year old girl in our care. If this were summer vacation, I'd consider it but we can't just pull Eliza out of school for a month or more so we can take down a mark…no matter how badly I want to strike a blow against that man!"

"I know," Nate heaved a sigh and leaned over the counter. "I know that. We've got a life here that I wouldn't trade for anything in the world. Eliza's got school and you've got the theater group and acting school...but…I don't have anything going on right now. What if…I give Elliot and the others two weeks? I fly up to San Diego, provide what help I can, and then come rain, snow, or shine, I'm back here," Sophie could feel him creeping up behind her and nestling his head on her shoulder…as if that weren't the oldest trick in the book. Should she be charmed…or downright insulted? "And you and I are dining on lobster at The Sapphire."

Nate…Nate never had been able to rest while men like Raul went free. And if she was honest…that was one of the things that she loved most about him. Even as a thief, she'd admired Nate's faith in what was right and fair. And…there really wasn't any way but for Nate to go.

"Okay Nate; give them two weeks. But I want you to promise me something. Bring him down! Whatever it takes, whatever you have to do, bring him down…and please God, bring yourself home to us."

_Author's Notes:_

_I've always found it interesting how Kim managed to cope with all of the life or death missions, especially now that family is involved. My grandfather served in WWII in the Pacific and I know through him how dark those experiences can be._

_While I found the ending to the series plausible, I always imagined that Nate and Sophie would be two who wouldn't be able to entirely leave the game behind, especially when their daughter is selling muffins. lol_


	3. Chapter 3

The van pulled to a halt just around the corner from the Hemlock Consolidated building. If the Seniors were pulling a job in California, Hemlock Consolidated would have a record of it. Kim was absolutely certain of it.

Calling in a favor with America Airlines, Kim had hopped a commercial flight out of Erie instead of taking the temporary "family helicopter". She needed a low profile for this one and a personal craft would've been just a little too ostentatious. Besides, what was wrong with a little pampering in first class while she worked? Nothing; that was what!

Minnie had sent her a record of all the robberies and all Kim had been able to deduce was that this was connected to SOMETHING in the racing circuit. But what was Senor Senior Senior doing with street racing? To his credit, Raul was a fiscal genius…but mechanical genius? Odd were that without some outside help, he wouldn't even understand what he had, and Junior even less so; which brought her back to Motor Ed. Yes, Ed was the definitive authority on engines…and mullets…and air guitar. But what in the name of all things sane would make Raul even go near Ed, even IF he was a mechanical whiz?

Well, that was what she was here to find out!

"Thanks again for giving me cover on this one, Jimmy."

"Are you kidding? It's the least I can do after you and Shego recovered my secret quesadilla recipe. It's been in my family for years. Without it, my lunch van franchise would've gone down the drain."

"So not the drama," Kim grunted as she lifted the grate off the floor, revealing a manhole cover. "Once Shego melted the doors down, those goons practically threw it at us." Kim gave one last grunt as she pried off the manhole cover. "You remember what to do, right?"

"Roger that Senora. I'll have two quesadillas warm and waiting upon your return."

Oooooh…Jimmy sure knew how to reward good work. Even at the mention of them, Kim started salivating. And since Shego was stuck in Middleton…hehe…she'd have them all to herself!

Jumping through the floor, Kim hit the cement of the storm drain with a wet thump. The manhole provided a little light but Kim's first move was to don her thermal goggles. With her luck, she'd probably run into an alligator down here if she didn't wear them, never mind that this was San Diego and not New Orleans. Why? Why did she let Shego talk her into watching _Leather Trap_ the night before she left? The confined space was quickly bathed in an eerie orange glow and she felt safe enough to move on.

"You uploaded yet, Min?"

"I'm insulted," Minnie's sweet alto voice came over Kim's ear piece. "City Water and Power, traffic cams, and building security are all officially mine. You ready?"

"Provided I don't run into any mutant alligators down here," Kim grumbled, taking off at a quick job down the tunnel. "Never again! I keep harping and begging Eme to watching something OTHER than Star Wars and she and the girls trick me into watching a movie about mutant alligators invading a major city by way of the waterways? I mean…Casablanca! That's a nice change of pace. All the President's Men is a nice choice. Why? Why couldn't we watch that?"

A peal of laughter came back. "Girl, you two are grown women and you still act like you're Gracie's age. You two are a match made in heaven!"

"Yeah," Oh Minnie; always the comedian. "Who'd have thought that the green skinned plasma throwing arch nemesis who totally snaked that green Club Banana jacket would end up being the perfect mate for me?"

The pair traded small talk for most of the journey until Kim had made it to the service door. According to Minnie's scans, the Hemlock Consolidated building had been built back in the 1950s, right smackdab in the middle of the Cold War paranoia, and built in such a way as to employ waterways as a bomb shelter in the event of a nuclear attack. But in the here and now, it also provided Kim with an excellent insertion point. Stepping through the door, Kim now needed her disguise. Everyone in places like this never seemed to notice the IT people so Minnie had thought it would be a natural guise. Shego on the other hand…Shego saw it as an opportunity to assemble what had to be the most clichéd outfit Kim had ever seen. Shedding her trademark black crop top, Kim replaced it with a baggy Wonder Woman t-shirt. Next went her cargo pants, being replaced by a pair of faded blue jeans with various logos drawn on them. The worst, however, were the socks. Where the hell had Shego gotten her hands on…no…no, she probably didn't want to know the answer to that, but Kim pulled on the pair of rainbow toe socks and pink Converse sneakers that Eme INSISTED pulled the whole ensemble together. With a great resound sigh, Kim donned the Justice League of America sweatshirt and the horn-rimmed glasses, literally the only two parts of the disguise Kim had gotten to pick, and made the final touch of putting her hair into a pair of rough pigtails.

"Kim Possible, you are now the Invisible Nerd." Boy, it was a good thing Minnie was back in Middleton because if she let out a single chuckle at Kim's expense, Kim would've decked her, friend or no.

"I am SO getting Eme back for this," Kim grumbled to no one in particular

Taking a deep breath, Kim stepped through the door and made a bee line for the ground floor. According to the blueprints, the basement was little more than storage and storage, and in the middle of the day, security foot patrols were relatively light. No trouble there. The moment of truth however was once she actually got into the building proper. An old friend, Sophie Deveraux, had always told her that every insertion, just like every con or grift, was a performance. If you believed you were who you claimed to be, then the mark and the audience would too. Now that she thought about it, she should give Sophie and Nate a call after this. It had been too long since she'd paid her old mentors a visit.

Kim took a step through the door and…

"Oops…sorry…my fault…let me get that for you…"

Kim Possible wasn't here. As far as anybody in this building was concerned, she was back on the East Coast working on who knew what. But Chelsea Webber, IT technician, was indeed here. Her hobbies were comic books, World of Warcraft, and cosplay. She'd never missed a Comic-Con since she was thirteen and, despite being a card carrying member of the Blue Lantern Corps, her role model was Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. Always the "nice girl", she could be naïve and always did the "good" option in video games. She'd been working at the company less than a week and desperately wanted to hold onto this job. Contrary to what her brightly colored clothing might imply, people always seemed to look through her or past her. But no matter what the world threw at her, Chelsea Webber always strove to look on the bright side and exuded a sunny disposition.

"Mmm mmm; Kim, you truly can do anything," She heard Minnie congratulate.

"Family motto, Minnie," Kim whispered, doing her utmost to maintain character. "That and the fact that I was trained by the absolute best in the business; now, I need someone to require computer assistance near the building mainframe."

"Okay…the lucky stooge for today is…Mr. Hank Blackthorne, director of Overseas Sales. You are the lucky recipient of a devastating computer virus!"

Now Kim…or rather Chelsea as she should be thinking of herself, needed a key card to get past security. Ad this constantly getting bumped in to was starting to get a little annoying. Who would it…well what did we have here? A three piece suit that probably cost in the tens of thousands immaculately groomed and styled hair, and an attitude that seemed to exude a sense of pompous superiority; the man wasn't even trying to get out of people's way. Here was a man who could use a little dose of humility! Kim changed directions and oh so subtly allowed herself to get bumped in to one last time.

"Watch where you're going you lummox," He barked, glaring daggers at the girl HE bumped in to.

"Sorry sir," "Chelsea" readily apologized, gathering up her fallen knapsack. "It won't happen again."

With a small smile on her face and a hefty dose of impish glee, Kim pocketed the ID badge and made a subtle dash for the Ladies room. All of the stalls were empty. You really did have to appreciate small victories when you got them. Kim skipped to the farthest stall and locked herself in.

"Okay Minnie, I've got card number X7392C116. Card holder's name is Randall Urban, Deputy Manager of Real Estate Acquisitions; a real douche bag too. You ready?"

Kim dug out her Kimmunicator and pressed the card against the reader and held up the lens to her face.

"Now give us a big smile, Kim."

Kim snapped a picture and the back to the Kimmunicator began growing warm, molding Kim's photo and alias onto the card. Minnie would have no trouble hacking the system to make the codes match, and once the Kimmunicator beeped its completion, Kim was now sporting a "brand new" ID badge confirming her identity to be Chelsea Webber.

"Okay Kim; I just took the call from Blackthorne; head to his office."

"Chelsea Webber" emerged from the restrooms, cheery as ever, and whistling the Song of Time from Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was a gloriously pretty San Diego day, she could see through the windows, and she was ready and eager to work hard and earn her bread. Afterwards, she'd have her Siberian Husky, Groot, waiting for her and there should be a new graphic novel waiting in the mailbox.

Her turn came at the security station and she handed the guard her badge and flashed him a chipper smile. Kim had every confidence in Minnie's abilities…but even after not quite 20 years of doing exactly this, she still had a twitch in the pit of her stomach.

"Are you new here, Miss…" the guard looked to be sizing her up, pausing at those horrific rainbow socks. "Miss Webber?"

"Uh…yes sir; it's my first week. I love the job so far and…"

"Trust me; you'll get over it soon. Move along."

_Nice to see you too_, Kim couldn't help but suppress an inward chuckle. Kim had worked a host of crappy part-time jobs in her youth. What teenager hadn't? But…people were too cautious these days. Too many people elected to take the cautious route. There were just too many Willie Lowmans in the world.

Kim rounded the corner and heard the elevator ding.

"Hold the elevator!"

An arm shot out and Kim jogged inside. The only other occupant appeared to be a mail carrier. "What floor?"

"Uh…three; please and thank you."

"I have a sister who used to say that," There was a hum as the elevator began rising. Kim couldn't help spending time studying her elevator mate. He wasn't at all unattractive, short hair, and sporting a pair of glasses that she thought were referred to as "geek chic". But…that was odd. Unless Kim was very much mistaken, this man was very muscular yet seemed to be wearing clothes designed to hide that very fact. And strangest of all…he had a sister who said that phrase? Did…did Kim know this person?

The elevator dinged on the third floor and the doors slid open. She had a mission right now and whoever this was would have to wait.

"Hey," He called through the closing doors. "Did I pass the test?"

Okay…massive feeling of Déjà vu there. "Hey Min, track the mail carrier that was in the elevator with me. Let me know if he goes anywhere near the mainframe."

Minnie guided Kim with a series of turns and Kim soon laid eyes on a thoroughly frazzled looking personal assistant. Well…collateral damage was never pretty. She'd been in a meeting with her publisher when his laptop caught a virus and…you'd have thought the poor intern he laid into had been the one who uploaded it.

"He's pretty angry, huh?" Kim inquired, setting her knapsack on a nearby chair.

"Enter at your own risk," she groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration.

Kim knocked on the door and tentatively entered. Well, "Chelsea" would have a smile on her face in all but the most dire of circumstances. She bid the man hello and inquired what the problem was.

"Well, if you IT hacks were half way decent at your jobs, you would've fixed the damn thing LAST time! Look, I don't give a shit. I want this done and I want it done fast!"

"Well, don't you worry, sir," Kim chirped, setting up her tablet and pulling out the USB cord. "I'll have it done lickety splitsky. Don't you worry."

Kim had to suppress a growl as she heard a muttered "freak" from the departing Mr. Blackthorne. That…that was a trigger! Her emerald goddess had had that word hurled at her like a spear more times than Kim dared think about. Kim could handle cursing like a sailor, she could brush off any derogatory term with Christian dignity. But…if she was a lesser woman, she'd have made that bastard hit notes that Falsetto Jones would envy!

"Hey Min, I've got a lot of favors in the bank at present," She sighed into the microphone. "You think I could get away with a case of assault and battery?" If that bastard set foot in the office again, the daggers Kim was glaring at the door would've skewered him. She grabbed a chair and dragged it to the air conditioning vent.

"With the federal government, probably; but I'm fairly certain you'd regret explaining that to Shego, even if the SOB had it coming."

"Yeah, yeah," Kim grumbled as she hauled herself up to the vent. "It's my cross to bear, being the hero."

"Oh please," Minnie chuckled through the ear piece. "It's who you are. And who you are wouldn't let you attack somebody no matter how big a jackass they were. But Kim, I've got to ask…really? 'Lickety Splitsky'?"

"Good grief; everybody's a critic. That is SO something Chelsea Webber would say."

Boy, times like this, Kim really missed her battlesuite, all nice and climate controlled. The biting cold was the one thing that the movies never told you about. At least the vents were a decent size, making for a rapid trip through them to the mainframe. All the offices seemed to circle around it, like protons around a nucleus. After a few minutes, Kim found herself kneeling over a metal screen, the only obstacle that stood between her and her objective.

"Okay, what do we have?"

"Well, it's got a laser grate and…well, I HAVE had it a little easy so far. Each one of the beams is independent of the others. I don't have anything to block them all with. Any chance you can hack the system?"

"I'll give it my best shot, but the elder Senior usually springs for pretty good tech. Still, nothing I like better than a challenge."

Down there would be the answer. Something about this seemed…well…more than unusual. Who could say where the "line" was for people like Raul and Junior? If there was profit in working with Motor Ed…but Raul and Junior couldn't stand the grease monkey and Ed probably knew as much about the circles that Raul ran in as a platypus knew about Shakespeare.

Without warning, the beams disappeared, leaving a clear drop. Her Converse sneakers hit the ground with a quiet thud. Surrounding her were at least 8 massive servers, all interconnected and hopefully containing her quarry. She'd plug in the Kimmunicator and Minnie would burrow through the bowels of the cybernetic world housed inside like those damned gophers tearing apart her lawn. Shego could solve that problem in an instant…if the twins didn't get all teary every time the notion came up. But bringing her mind back to the present, as Kim plugged her trusty little device into the nearest port, looking back at the now empty grate, Minnie was seriously on top of her game with that hack.

"Hey Min, isn't there a four star spa a few blocks from here? Sands of Joy or something like that?"

"I think so right off the coast if I remember correctly."

"Well, book a weekend for two and send the pass to Blackthorne's personal assistant."

"See what I mean Kim. You're a hero…and a generous one to boot."

"And my compliments on an absolutely stellar hack."

There was a long pause that instantly sent a chill down her spine. "Kim…I…I haven't finished the…oh God; Kim, get out now! Somebody's trying to force me out of the system!"

Well…this went to pot like nobody's business. Kim yanked the cord out and dove for the knapsack. She never went anywhere without Old Reliable. The design was antiquated and Wade had offered the occasional upgrade but her grappler gun had been the first gadget Wade had ever invented for her and of all the devices in her repertoire, it had never failed her. Kim wrapped her hand around the hilt and drew it, taking aim at the…

..._BANG…_

Kim whirled around, narrowly avoiding the flashbang, and took aim once again. Worst case scenario, the grappler could knock whoever was coming down off their feet. Even through the hazy smoke, Kim could make out the black clad body and…uncovered blond hair? What infiltrator would leave bright blond hair uncovered during an…?

"I'll keep an eye out, Hardison, but they won't get anywhere near me. Elliot can handle that part of the plan."

H…Hardison? And blonde hair could only be…no…what…what were the odds?

"P…Parker?" Kim called out, using all of her mental fortitude to keep from running forward and hugging the older woman.

The black clad blonde froze the minute she hit the ground and spun around. Incredible; how…how many years had it been? A matter of months before the twins were born since her and Shego had last worked with Leverage? They'd shared the occasional vacation with Nick and Sophie but…this was a surprise out of absolutely nowhere!

"Possible?" A smile crept onto her face. Parker had been a bit of an oddball but especially in her and Ron's early years, she'd been something of a mentor for the aspiring young world savers. Every member of the company had been. And it had to be her! Seventeen years they'd known each other and the former cat burglar still couldn't call her "Kim"? Heck, she'd even take "Kimberly". "What are you doing here? Hey Hardison; guess who I…"

Without warning, alarms began thundering through the building.

"Kim," a severely panicked Minnie cried out. "We've been made. Get out of there! I'll do what I can from here but whoever's trying to keep me out is good!"

Trying to keep her…wha…seriously? This…if the pair weren't primed to get caught, the whole thing would've been pretty amusing. Alec Hardison squaring off against Minnie Load would've been the Ali/Frasier of hack battles. And they would indeed have made a considerable amount of noise.

"Minnie, do you trust me?"

"What the…yes. I trust you! What the hell are you talking about?"

Kim nodded towards the door, Parker getting the idea very quickly and prompting her own conversation with her hacker boyfriend. Kim hoisted up her knapsack and took off with Parker through the newly opened door. "Then stop the hack. Pull out of the system completely. It…well, it just so happens that I've found some help down here, a few surprise guests as it were."

"Help? Kim, what are you…?"

"Alec Hardison is the one you're fighting."

There was another long paus as Kim and Parker rounded a corner. "HARDISON? WHY, THAT NO ACCOUNT EXCUSE FOR AN APPLE STORE GENIUS ISN'T FIT TO INSTALL MY RAM!"

Ha…some things you just couldn't escape. From what Kim knew, the hacker community was actually a lot like the cheer team back in high school. Minnie had never dabbled in the dark arts like Hardison but her work in cyber security had made his name come up all too often.

"Thank you Minnie," Kim sighed, not missing her stride as she couldn't help but feel like she was trying to break up a fight between Emily and Zoe. She turned back to Parker. "So Leverage's new HQ is San Diego? I'm guessing you're after the Seniors too?"

"Small world, ain't it?" Parker smiled and halted at the staircase and threw open the door. "We think he's working with 'Motor Ed' Lipsky." She held the door for Kim and…GUARDS! Kim's arm shot out and hammered it into the guard's chest. His wild swing went wide and Kim popped the baton out of his hand and kicked him down the stairs, taking the second guard with him. "That's my girl," Kim felt a sisterly pat on the back. "Hey, last I heard, you and Shego adopted a baby boy?"

"Yup," The clang of their footsteps on metal echoed through the staircase. "Nicky's going to be two this February."

"Wait," Parker grabbed Kim's shoulder as Kim made a grab for the door. "Crap; Hardison says our way out is cut off. Where's yours?"

Well…how was this going to work? Her plan had basically been to go out the way she'd come in…but that was when the building WASN'T in lockdown. Not matter how she looked at it though, she and Parker would be fighting their way through a lobby full of guards. If they could find Elliot…maybe they could get through.

"You have an ear piece you can spare?"

Parker fished around in one of her many pockets and tossed the small earbud into Kim's waiting hand. Minnie was none too thrilled about being put on the bench but at least the bickering stopped when Kim placed the new piece in.

"Hardison, its Kim. Are there any other ways to the basement than through the lobby?"

"It…looks like there's a maintenance hall that can get you most of the way but there's still a twelve yard dash to the door through the lobby. Think you can pull it off?"

"Well if I can't, it would only reflect poorly on my teachers," Good old Hardison; he'd actually been the one who introduced her and Wade.

Twelve yards short? The guards weren't carrying firearms so it would have to do. They still needed to find Elliot though. _Linque nullum post unum._ Elliot had literally beat that saying into her for close to two years. Leave no one behind! The walking Army platoon could more than fend for himself…but she and Parker had to move. Hardison guided the pair around a squad of guards and down another level, leaving them just around the corner from where they needed to be.

"Where the hell is Elliot?" Kim grumbled, peeking around the corner at their destination. Two guards were standing watch…right where they needed to be! She glanced at her watch…they had to get out of the building NOW! This wasn't like breaking into a lair. Raul Senior or whatever puppet that was acting in his stead wouldn't hesitate to call the police, and Kim WOULD have to explain what she was doing here.

"Okay," She peeked once again and whispered back to Parker. "We move hard and fast. You just get through that door and I'll take out the…"

…_THUMP…_

…_CRUNCH…_

…_CRACK…_

Damn that smirk of his! Elliot was standing over the crumpled forms of the two guards like a pair of deer that he'd bagged in the wild. Sure, in her younger days she'd had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on the guy…but hey; she WAS a schoolgirl at the time. And there was the little fact that Elliot was at least 7 years her senior. Thankfully it was pretty easy to keep your hormones in check when your crush was also your sparring partner and sensei.

"You got transport out of here?" He asked as Kim ran up and wrapped him in a hug.

"If we can get to it," Kim replied, leading the trio down what looked like a storage hallway. "There's an old door in the basement that leads to the storm drains. They used to use it as a bomb shelter in the '50s. It didn't show up on any of the current blueprints. A block away from the building is a lunch truck parked over a manhole. The driver's an old friend."

"Well Little Red," Elliot patted Kim on the back. Grrrrrr; Kim had always HATED that nickname, especially since meeting Motor Ed. But…well…despite Kim's affinity for him in their youth, Elliot was a big brother to her and…eh, she could take it. "It's your show."

Once they reached the end of the hall, Kim cracked open the door, surveying their situation. Okay…the bulk of the guards were at the front of the lobby, conventional but understandable thinking. There were enough employees still milling about the lobby that she and Elliot wouldn't look out of place…but what could they do about Parker? The black cat suit and harness wasn't exactly work formal, nor were there many places for cover. What to do…what to do; Kim looked back at the blonde. Parker WAS a little on the short side and from what she could see, the lobby was in the shape of a semi-circle. If she stayed on their right and they hugged the wall, it would at least be harder for anyone to make out her attire short of getting a direct line of sight. That was their only chance.

"Okay…Parker, stay on our right when we get out there. Elliot, we're going to hug the wall, keep Parker as much out of sight as possible. Just do your best to look as nervous as possible."

Very slowly, the trio began inching out into the hall where Kim and Elliot immediately took up flanking positions around Parker. The guards were indeed fewer on this side and…and the various employees looked to be far too freaked out over the alarms to notice…

…_SIRENS…_

It would figure the San Diego PD would pick now to show up. They were…fifteen feet from the door…ten feet…five feet…

"Hey; you three stop."

Damn it; her hand was hovering right on the doorknob. As slowly as she could, Kim turned to face the guard staring directly at them. They were so close…so very…very close…

"Break for it," She heard Elliot whisper.

If Elliot said it…this was just like when she was a kid. She and Ron would've followed these people to the gates of Hell and back and couldn't ask for better company. Without a second thought, Kim's hand shot out for the door and the three dove through. Hurling the door close again…they needed something to barricade the door with. There had to be something…oh! That shelving unit would do quite nicely. Kim heaved her weight against the steel unit, toppling it into their path and narrowly missing Elliot.

"Warn a guy next time," He barked as he got to his feet.

Shouting could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Well when we don't have armed guards on our tail, I promise you I will," Kim blew a raspberry at him, eliciting a giggle from Parker, and motioned for the two to follow her. "Come on; the best quesadillas you'll ever have are waiting at the end of the tunnel."

_Author's Notes:_

_Hope you're enjoying it thus far. Both sides have finally come together and the prodigal daughter has returned. Will Kim and her mentors at Leverage Inc. be able to find out why it appears the Seniors have swallowed their pride to work with Motor Ed? Tune in next time. Same Kim time. Same Kim Channel._


	4. Chapter 4

_June, 2001_

"You're so full of it, Possible. There's no way you did that."

Well, stupid Bonnie Rockwaller could be a doubter all she wanted. Ron was there; he'd seen it all. He'd been right there when Kim had made her way through the path of lasers to save Mr. Paisley in Upperton…and got her picture taken with a FLAMINGOAT! It was flat out the best night of her life, SO the drama! Now the picture was framed and hanging next to her bed and she had a kick butt story to finally top Bonnie's family vacation to Brazil. And Bonnie was SOOOO jealous. You could just see it on her face!

"Jealous much?" Kim laughed as she got her lunch and turned to go sit next to Ron. Bonnie grumbled something Kim couldn't quite make out but Kim still had the high ground and stuck her tongue out at the princess wannabe. She knew it all really happened, Ron knew it all really happened, and that was all that she needed. Every time she looked at the picture, she'd feel…oooooh, it was such an adrenaline rush that she couldn't take it. But…eh, it probably WAS only a one-time thing. She was only 14 after all. And except for the Hinton twins, babysitting jobs weren't so bad.

Kim set her tray down next to her best friend just in time to see Ron feed a hunk of cheese from his slice of pizza to Rufus, his new pet naked mole rat; that…that was both a kind of adorable and…DEEPLY disgusting. But she couldn't deny that Rufus had been a lot smarter than the average pet she'd seen. If it hadn't been for him, there was probably no way that they would've even gotten through Mr. Paisley's front gate and her grand adventure probably would've ended at nothing but a trip to Upperton and back. The little guy smiled up at her…at least she thought it was a smile and squeaked out a "howdy". Well…never let it be said that Kim Possible wasn't friendly. All the other popular girls called her "tin teeth" behind her back? Well that was fine. She had better friends than they did and more of them.

"Don't get used to this," Kim smiled as she slipped Rufus some cheese from her own pizza.

"Booyah; thanks!"

"See Kim? Rufus is totally cool. I knew you'd come around."

"Okay…he's not so bad," Kim flashed a small smile and opened here milk carton. The topic of conversation today was their trip to Camp North Star after school was over. Ever since she was six years old, she'd spent two months there every summer. Mom had been a counselor-in-training there when she was in college and it was kind of a family tradition. It had taken months of convincing to get Ron to come with her, especially after that "bad experience" he kept talking about at Camp Wanna Weep when they were nine, but Ron had finally agreed and they'd been going together ever since. The counselors, A.L., Wheels, and Hardware were so cool and so much fun. Bonnie Rockwaller could talk all she wanted about Camp Mohawk and horse riding and synchronized swimming. At Camp North Star, they always had fun…and Kim had just loved the look on her face last year when her team had beaten Bonnies in the swim relay at the Camp Olympiad.

"It's gonna be SO spankin this year Ron," Kim promised, swallowing a mouthful of her pizza and gazing longingly out the window.

"Just so long as it's nowhere near a science camp," Ron muttered. "You know how dangerous it is to dump toxic waste into the water? Because I do and let me tell you…"

Ron continued on in that rant, off in his own little world. Ha…since when was Ron so environmentally conscious? He always seemed to wind up on these rants when they talked about camp. The way he was talking, you'd have thought that he was an expert scientist and not just a goofball who played a lot of video games. He was still coming though. That was the important thing. And if he brought Rufus, then Rufus could make friends with a squirrel.

Kim couldn't wait. She was fourteen now and that meant that she was old enough to start taking A.L's self-defense classes. Every summer, she'd grown up with A.L's stories around the campfire about traveling all over world. She'd been to China, Thailand, Tibet; she'd actually studied with Shaolin Monks and then spent the next two months hiking across the Gobi desert completely by herself. She'd gone scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef. She was a trained hang glider…it may have been Kim's family's motto that anything was possible for a Possible…but A.L really COULD do anything, just like Nana Possible. And as cheesy as it sounded, Kim wanted to be just like her when she grew up.

"And the dolphin totally had a second head and…Kim? Are you listening to me? Hello?"

Ron snapped his fingers in front of her face and she blinked. She'd…she'd been…snowboarding down Mt. Everest and…darn it; her cheeks were undoubtedly bright red. Rufus looked to be studying her, almost concerned that something was wrong. Talk about embarrassing. But as was usual for Ron, he didn't judge and continued on eating. And on the plus side, it had distracted him enough to put a stop to the rant.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Come on, Elliot. They're kids, not Marines. You don't have to run them to death."

Oh brother; Elliot had been doing this routine since he was six. Apart from helping in his father's hardware store, the Elliot Spencer had lived on and helped run his grandfather's Oklahoma cattle farm. Some would say that he'd enlisted in the Navy after high school. Heck, he'd have said that the only change from working the farm in Oklahoma and Naval Station Great Lakes had been that there was more water and he had twenty roommates. Boot Camp, SEAL training, all of it was a cake walk compared to his childhood. So what was wrong with giving these kids the same edge?

Sophie moaned in frustration. "BECAUSE THEY'RE SIX YEAR OLDS! Just…please remember that the camping trip with the nine year old campers is supposed to be about FUN! It's not a race. It's about fun and how to live in the woods…and don't you DARE try to put them through SEAL survival training!"

Awwww…well…that wasn't NECISSARILY what was going to happen. Sophie didn't know him as well as she claimed. Although, as the former Black Ops soldier watched his group assembling on the edge of the summer camp, there was ONE that he couldn't help but be impressed by. The redhead, Kim Possible, was competitive, smart as a whip, and watching her at the head counselor's self-defense classes, even at age 14, Elliot had to be impressed by the natural skill and ability to absorb new skills with utter ease, and was a natural leader. And from what Sophie had said about her and Nate's camp theater activities, Sophie claimed to always see herself in Kim Possible, the ability to put on a show that her audience utterly believed. She and her…for some reason that only God could understand…friend Ron Stoppable were both junior counselors and therefore would act as his deputies on the camping trip. The kid appeared to be a complete buffoon but absolutely loyal to Kim Possible, and Elliot could only too well appreciate the value of someone who you could depend wholeheartedly. You met people of all sorts in work like this, both young and old. A few stuck with you but when you were constantly under an alias, you couldn't always keep in touch. But those two…he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that they'd likely part ways after this. Since Leverage Inc. had been forced to relocate to Boston, and that it had grown to mean so much to Elliot, he'd been thinking of its future. And Kim Possible at least…THERE was the future of Leverage Inc. …if only it could've been so.

"Don't worry Sarah," The girl in question had appeared beside the two, sporting pigtails, pack ready and face more than eager. "Ron and I can take care of the 'Grizzly Bear'."

"Grizzly Bear?" Elliot laughed and thumped his protégé in the shoulder. "I'm not that bad, am I, Kim?"

"Well I don't think so. But certain OTHERS," Her eyes darted to her blonde haired companion. "They keep talking about me being too COMPETITIVE…or some crap like that."

She was a girl after his own heart and they'd likely have some fun on this trip! Elliot called his charges to order and began laying out their plans for the days ahead…at least as far as the kids were concerned. Over the next two days, their troop would sleep out under the stars, live off of roots, berries, and whatever fish they could catch. That was what the troop believed at least. After they broke for the first day however, if Elliot could keep the pace he'd hoped, they'd be just close enough to Camp Mohawk for him to leave Kim and Ron in charge while he made the rendezvous with Parker and the pair infiltrated the Mohawk office to get the evidence they needed to keep North Star from being foreclosed. The way Rudy Gerner had spelled it out for he and Nate, Mohawk had been gunning for this for decades and now…now was the first time that he was afraid they might actually succeed, but not only succeed, they were also setting the camp director, Tripper Harris, up for fraud and child endangerment. But Nate…Nate wasn't going to let that happen. NO one was going to let that happen!

"Okay Woodchuck cabin," Kim cheered, running to the front of the line. "Everybody follow me!"

The kid was indeed a natural leader. Not only that, the kids all seemed to follow her. The column moved out of the camp at a brisk pace. If Kim was going to keep the pace, then her little friends were going to do their utmost to follow her.

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

…_SNAP…_

Kim's eyes darted open, looking for the source of the sound. Ever since she was little, she'd been a light sleeper though strangely only when she was sleeping outside. On family camping trips, she and Daddy were always the ones up at the crack of dawn. She looked around and barely spotted the form of Counselor Chip disappearing into the woods and heading North West. What was…no part of the camp was in that direction. What...where was he going? What was in that direction? Kim had been camping in this area for nine years and knew it like the back of her hand. Camp North Star was in the opposite direction. The only thing in that direction was…Camp Mohawk? Why was he headed for Camp Mohawk? Well…she was going to find out.

Something had been bugging her about these new counselors since she and Ron had gotten here. Counselors Sarah, Chip, and Adam seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and when Kim asked A.L and some of the others about them, they'd all been more than a little tightlipped about it, almost like they were trying to hide something from the older kids. Every one of them though seemed to be…well…very welcoming of the new faces; and strange enough, despite her suspicions, so had Kim. All of the counselors were very approachable and seemed more than eager to teach Kim whatever they could if she was willing to learn and Kim had certainly taken them up on it, even if she did feel like they and the rest of the counselors were hiding something from the campers.

"K…Kim?" Ron grumbled, turning to his friend. "Where are you…?"

"It's okay Ron," Wherever "Counselor Chip" was going, he obviously was hoping not to be pursued. Kim would be able to move better on her own. "The firewood got wet and Chip and I are going to get more."

Kim took off at a quick jog through the woods. Checking her watch, it was after ten o'clock and plenty dark outside. The moon was bright but the trees were thick enough to make any light that might have given her patchy most of the time. But thankfully what light there was and keeping her ears open allowed her at least a rough idea that she was going in the right direction and just behind Chip. She ducked under branches, stepped around twigs as carefully as she could; she wouldn't lose track of her quarry. Counselor Chip wouldn't forgive her…she stopped in her tracks. Haha…she had been about to say that Counselor Chip would never forgive her if she let her quarry get away…and Counselor Chip was the very person she was tracking.

She pursued him for close to a half hour, or so she thought. It had gotten dark enough that she didn't dare light up her watch. A light in the middle of the dark would give away her position. From what she could see of the stars, they were still headed northwest, definitely headed towards Camp Mohawk then. All the while, she had "Counselor Chip" just barely in her sights. Strange though; it almost felt like…like the man was trying to KEEP her on his tale.

"Hold it," A voice barked out of the darkness. Ever so slightly, she felt…what she had a sinking suspicion was a gun barrel between her shoulder blades. "Don't move!"

_Every one of your senses can be a weapon_, she heard Nana Possible's voice go through her head. As much as she admired A.L, the camp counselor had nothing on Kim's Grandma. While A.L had been training at that Shaolin Monastery in China, it had been Grandma Possible who had trained HER. _Picture them in your mind's eye, their stance, their breathing, and then react._

That tentative touch of the barrel had been all she'd needed. The woods were pitch black but to Kim, it might as well have been high noon in an open field. Without a second thought, Kim dropped to her feet and shot her leg out into the stranger's legs, dropping him to the ground. Kim heard the _klink_ of the gun barrel hitting a rock and her hand struck, wrapping her fingers around the cold black steel. Yanking the gun up and leaping to her feet, the barrel swung out and collided with the stranger's face with a _CRUNCH_. Like a sack of potatoes, the stranger crumpled to the ground. The gun fell from Kim's hands to the ground and…

…_SNAP…_

Kim whirled around to face whatever new trouble had snuck up on her, fists in a fighting position…and was staring into the shadowy face of Counselor Chip. But where only a few hours ago, she'd seen a friendly camp counselor in jeans, a t-shirt, and hiking boots, now…who was this person? Standing before her was someone out of a military or spy movie. And the look on his face was…wait…was he…did she…surprise him? His face was absolute stone…except for those eyes.

"Come with me. Don't fall behind."

"Who…who are you?"

"Elliot Spencer," He grunted as she fell into line behind him. "My friends and I are here to save your camp…and I think you can help."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

To any outside observer, Nate had to look like a delirious fool, a hopeless smile plastered on his face as he waited for Tripper Harris to enter the diner. And why shouldn't he be happy? Who could've seen a situation like this arriving? He and Sophie had absolutely no idea how right either of them were about Kim Possible. From the moment he'd set eyes on her, Nate could see the tremendous potential exhibited by this girl. She was bright, kind, and a natural leader, the kind of person that just seemed to excel at virtually everything she put her mind to and in excelling, drew people to her like a wolf pack to its Alpha member. And that was just what he, Sophie, and Elliot had managed to observe of her in camp.

Elliot's after action report…the thing read like an episode of a kid's cartoon. First of all, a fourteen year old…a FOURTEEN year old had managed to see through their disguises. Granted, sometimes the people that Nate and his crew dealt with weren't exactly geniuses but still…Hardison and Sophie had always put so much work into them and here came this young girl who managed to make Elliot and not only make him, but tag along to infiltrate Camp Mohawk's offices with Parker, eliminating guards that had to be twice her size. Elliot and Parker had been uncovered but managed to smuggle the necessary documents out the window to Kim who in turn managed to run full tilt back to their campsite, completely as if nothing had ever happened. According to Elliot, upon the revelation that Camp North Star was in danger, Kim was fully prepared to do whatever it took. There…there were just no words to describe it. This fourteen year old girl had managed to save their operation and save her camp.

"Kim, I…I hardly know what to say. You…you are without a doubt the most remarkable young woman I've ever met."

Good grief; the kid practically radiated satisfaction and not in an arrogant or superior sort of way. Nate…Nate actually saw a bit of himself in the teenager. She was satisfied in the fact that she had helped someone and nothing more. During the operation, everyone had been able to clue into the fact that Kim was an exceptionally gifted and above all kind person but…she existed to help anyone she could and as many people as she could.

"I…I just wanted to help, Mr. Ford," She breathed from the seat next to him. "Camp North Star…it's a part of me. Everyone here's like…well…like family to me. I couldn't let anything bad happen to them if there was something I could do about it."

"Oh please; I think we're to the point you could call me Nate."

The conversation was quickly broken up by the appearance of Rudy Gerner with Tripper Harris, still looking as if someone was about to jump him from any direction. From what Nate had heard about Tripper from everyone else at the camp, Tripper was practically a camp legend, running rings around the previous camp director in their younger days, pulling prank after prank. He'd been the one responsible for motivating the camp back in 1979, the year they started taking it to Camp Mohawk in the Inter-Camp Olympics. Once the mess started with Mohawk trying to set Tripper up for fraud and buy out Camp North Star…he'd become a shadow of his former self. But thank God they had some good news for him.

Taking a seat at the table, two sets of eyes immediately fell on Kim. "Uh…Mr. Ford…what…what's Kim doing here?"

"Well, I think it's better if I let Kim explain it," Nate turned and smiled at the girl.

"We did it Tripper!" Kim squealed in delight. "We got the evidence to clear you and proving the Camp Mohawk executives were behind the whole thing! We DID it Tripper! The camp is safe!"

Tripper's hands began shaking and he heaved a great sigh, turning to Rudy Gerner and pulling him into a hug. Rudy himself already looked about ready to cry. According to their initial meeting, Rudy had been twelve when Tripper, then a counselor himself, had taken him under his wing and given him the only self-confidence he'd ever had. Tripper had pretty much saved Rudy's life, as Rudy told it. There was absolutely nothing that Rudy wouldn't do for Tripper. And apart from getting Tripper off the hook, Nate's crew had one last gift to give. Reaching into his pocket, Nate hauled out an envelope and slid it across the table to Tripper.

"We also got our hands on the money they were going to plant for the frame-up. Camp North Star was awarded a grant from the State of Massachusetts for improving their facilities. Take my word for it. The money's 100% legitimate. We just figured some good should come out of their attempt."

"Wow…and I thought that saving Mr. Paisley from a maze of security lasers was going to be the highlight of my life," Kim gasped as Tripper and Rudy left the diner.

Nate nearly snorted coffee out of his nose! Security lasers? This wasn't the first time Kim had…? His eyes were drawn to the young lady seated next to him, oblivious to the fact that her table mate had just had to dramatically reevaluate her. This girl was…a natural. She was truly a natural. Even Parker hadn't tackled anything like a laser security grid at 14. Maybe…maybe Elliot was right. Sophie and Parker had started their "professions" at a very young age and…and since relocating to Boston, he'd been dropping hints about "cementing the future of Leverage" as he put it. In one of the rare occurrences when Elliot and Hardison were in agreement, Hardison actually referred to it as franchising. And if there was anyone he could think of who exhibited the necessary potential, it was the girl seated next to him. It would likely be a few years before she'd go on missions…but in those years, the team could train her. Each member of Leverage could train the girl and she'd be the very best of all of them.

"Kim, this is your last year at North Star, isn't it?"

"Yes; why?"

"Well…I've got a little project I want to run by you that you could spend your future summer vacations working on."

_Author's Notes:_

_Well, there was a lot included in this one. I hadn't intended to but I thought it would be fun to do a backstory chapter concerning Kim and Leverage's first encounter. And I was watching one of my favorite Bill Murray movies, Meatballs, when I was writing most of it and couldn't think of a better place for a pre-teen Kim to spend her summers. Hope you enjoyed._

_Meatballs and all characters associated with that film are the copyrighted property of Famous Players CFDC and Paramount Pictures and is the intellectual property of Harold Ramis._


	5. Chapter 5

"Just try to put yourself in their place for a minute," Shego brought up the photo on screen. "A bloody war is raging across the European continent and the high seas of the Atlantic. And all the while, across the ocean, the spunky little experiment in Democracy, still in its infancy, had just completed the biggest real estate deal in American History. In 1800, with the stroke of a pen, Thomas Jefferson had doubled the size of the nation overnight."

Shego's teaching mentor had always told her that a great teacher was equal parts scholar and performer. It wasn't enough to simply have passion for the material. You had to be able to show your student that the subject matter was worth being passionate about. And to her, the Lewis and Clark Expedition was indeed worth being passionate about.

"I mean, think about it, you guys. This was the adventure of a lifetime. 40 men set out from St. Louis into what was like going to space for us. Who does something like that? Imagine the sheer grit it took to travel almost 4000 miles by boat and on foot through totally and completely uncharted territory, seeing peoples and creatures that had only ever been whispered about by the white ma. You all mark my words. Before I die, I will travel every inch of that path in only a homemade canoe!"

"Well if anybody could do it, Mrs. P, it'd be you."

Several of the students laughed at that.

…_RRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG…_

"Alright everybody; that's all for now," Thank goodness it was lunch time. That Greek salad with the vinaigrette dressing that she'd stowed in the fridge in the teacher's lounge had been making her stomach rumble since half way through third period. And it was going to taste SO good. "Remember to read sections 2 and 3 for homework and do the section reviews for both."

There were a few grumblings at the prospect of homework tonight but they'd do it all the same. This was a pretty good crop of students and she had faith in them. And if she could share the beauty of so many of these literary and historical figures, she thought to herself as she entered the hallway, she could count that a victory.

She glanced at her watch and quickened her pace. It would be tight but she should just about make it. This year Gracie was on a different lunch schedule which meant that she was currently in choir. She skidded to a halt outside the choir room just in time to hear the song begin.

_Do you hear the People sing_

_Singing the songs of angry men?_

_It is the music of a People_

_Who will NOT be slaves again!_

_When the beating of your heart_

_Echoes the beating of the drums_

_There is a live about to start_

_When Tomorrow comes!_

Call it a mother's bias but Gracie had a voice that was instantly recognizable in a crowd, especially when she was singing. Her voice was…oh it was like magic. And Shego was just in time for Gracie's solo!

_Then join in the fight_

_That will give you the right_

_TO BE FREEEEEEE!_

Oooooooh, her daughter was just fantastic!

_The blood of the martyrs_

_Will water the petals of FRANCE!_

Even after the most difficult classes, hearing Gracie sing could put Shego at ease. Opening the door to the teachers' lounge, she couldn't help but laugh as she caught wind of Jerome and Cynthia Timms, a married pair, once again deeply engrossed in their argument about mathematics versus biology.

"Mathematics are the closest we get to the handwriting of God himself," Jerome barked, fixing his wife with a strong black-skinned finger.

"Oh really, Mr. Smart Guy?" She returned, showing no signs of backing down. "Well with a slice of my trusty scalpel to the right part of your cranium, that handwriting is meaningless and I finally get my garage door painted!"

Oh, if the students could only imagine the conversations that went on in here! Teachers would never be looked at the same way again Hardly any of her Princess's teachers remained in the school but Kimmie's ears often turned red scarlet at the retellings. She laughed at one of Jerome's retorts and settled into the leather couch to enjoy her salad.

"Shego," Jerome turned to face her. "Back me up here."

"Oh, I'm just happy to be observing, thank you," She laughed around a mouthful of dressing drenched salad. "I learned long ago when to keep my mouth shut."

"Mrs. Possible, to the office please," Barb Spencer's voice came over the PA.

Well, at least it gave her an excuse to duck out of that silly argument. She stowed the half-eaten salad back in the fridge and returned to the hallway. Who could've wanted her at the office? She'd met with the principal before classes started and…she pulled out her Shegophone on an impulse. No messages from Betty Director or from Kim or Wade. So who could want to meet with her?

"What's up, Barb?" She asked as she entered the central office.

"Oh," Barb looked as if she'd been dozing. "Uh, a Mr. Orsine wanted a few words with you about setting up a meeting. He…he said he'd wait outside the doors."

Outside the doors? Shego turned to face the glass doors to see a tall tanned skin individual, sunglasses, and a rather high end looking parka. Nothing…well…nothing SEEMED out of the ordinary. But…something seemed a little off about him. This guy most definitely wasn't GJ but…but…

Shego stepped through the doors, the brisk autumn breeze catching her black hair. "Mr. Orsine" turned to face her and…wait a minute! Orsine? Rearrange the letters and…S…E…N…POP! The sound was unmistakable, the feel of the tiny needle as it sunk into her flesh all too familiar. She…she had only…moments to react before the…toxin…she…she couldn't even complete the sentence. The fire alarm; she…she had to pull the fire alarm! It was…near the door. She…she stumbled towards the keypad…2…7…7…9…ALARM!

Everything went dark.

Gracie…she had to protect Gracie…

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Parker barely sets foot into the mainframe and all Hell breaks loose? Hardison makes so much noise during a back that he actually triggers the alarms himself? Nate had kept informed of all of Leverage Inc.'s exploits since leaving and knew full well that his crew's performance hadn't slipped one iota…and he was in the same city as them for all of half an hour, not even any contact with them, and an operation blows up in their faces like this? What had happened in there? Elliot…Elliot had been suspiciously quiet about it when they radioed in, making Nate all the more suspicious.

He heard the doors open and turned around to…

…_OOOMMMPHHH…_

"Nate Ford, you old scoundrel!"

K…Kim? Kim Possible? The flowing red hair tickled his nose and he heartily returned the hug that he'd been surprised with by his protégé. How…what were the odds? It had been…four years since they'd last seen each other? And here she was, actually in the flesh and in his very arms.

"I can't believe it," He laughed as he set the woman down and released her. "What are you doing in San Diego? And what's this I hear about you being in Hawaii this past winter and not stopping by to say hello?"

"Well, that's kind of a long story," She sighed. It was remarkable! He'd…he'd only been thinking about her a few days ago and…as a teenager, she exhibited so much potential, seeming to embody the best of all the members. Sophie was likely going to be a little peeved at missing out on a meeting with her surrogate daughter and fellow fashionista. "Gracie and I had an overnight layover at Pearl Harbor on our way to New Zealand to scout wedding stuff and…"

"And we can all hear about it over Mexican food," Elliot called out as he set a pair of plastic bags on a nearby table. "Little Red called in a favor and got us lunch as a peace offering for the botched job."

Wait…Nate had been so caught up in seeing Kim again that he'd completely forgotten the job even happened. As the smells wafted away from the steaming bags, Nate realized exactly how hungry he was and thought lunch and a story might not be such a bad idea. After hearty greeting from a much calmer Hardison, plates were set out and the team dove into the Mexican feast set out before them.

Anyone who hadn't been living in a hole for a year had heard the news that Kim and Shego Possible had renewed their wedding vows the previous summer. Nate and Sophie had actually attended the ceremony. But none of Leverage Inc, Nate included, had heard about the chaos that had ensued in actually planning the affair. And her own daughter surviving a plane crash into the Tasman Sea? Nate felt a chill go up his spine at that. Having a daughter himself, he couldn't help but sympathize with his protégé's ordeal.

All were thrilled to hear that Kim's family had continued to grow and cooed over the pictures she provided via her "Kimmunicator". The toddler really seemed to have an affinity for being on an ice rink. Kim's other daughters seemed to utterly dote on their baby brother. The next time the Possible family was in Honolulu, they should really set up a play date for the twins and Eliza.

The merriment was suddenly interrupted by the chime of Kim's little device. She plugged it into the holo-projector in the center of the table and an image of none other than Ron Stoppable materialized on the screen.

"Hey, guess who I found in San Diego…" Kim had cheered until she was suddenly silenced by the look on her partner's face as well as his apparel. Something was definitely wrong and Nate could read the man well enough to know that it was serious. Was that…combat armor he was wearing?

"KP…its Shego."

The sentence hung in the air like a poisonous gas. Nate's eyes subconsciously shifted to the young redhead. It had been a bit of an eyebrow raiser to Nate, Elliot, and Hardison when it had been revealed that their "little sister" was not only a lesbian but actually in a relationship with none other than one of her nemeses. But where only moments ago had been a cheery friend and fellow parent, sharing old war stories and family pictures, now stood…well…the only word Nate could think of was a wolf, ready to pounce on and tear to shreds the threat to her pack.

"Raul Senior's goons grabbed Shego right out of School. I…we…nobody knows how yet but…Raul sent us out a transmission to myself and Betty saying that if she is to go free, we had to get you these coordinates in the Cascade Mountains. He says Shego's fine but he will only release her to you…and Nate Ford."

Her and…huh? He'd…he'd only just found out Kim was here all of fifteen minutes ago…let alone the fact that he'd only been on the mainland for less than a day. How the Hell did Raul Senior even know about him?

But…Shego; Shelia Gordon Possible had…had turned her life around. Not only that…she WAS Leverage. The woman embodied Nate's belief that…damn it; Shego Possible was one of the kindest, most caring and most generous people he knew. And Kim was like a goddess to her. He knew damn well that the rest of his crew felt exactly the same way.

"What…what about Gracie? The Twins? Nicky?"

"They're safe," Ron assured her, looking like he was…was that a gun? "Shego managed to activate the fire alarm at the school before they took her. Abby was already at GJ with Brady and Nicky. Everyone's there now."

"Do we have transport?" Nate breathed.

"There's a GJ helicopter enroot to San Diego," Ron assured. "Abby and I will rendezvous with you outside of Ashford WA. Kim," Even in a hologram, you could see the depth of feeling the young man had for his friend and the reassurance he wanted to convey. "She's going to be fine. Raul's not stupid enough to hurt her in any way, shape, or form."

The hologram winked out of existence and once again all eyes returned to Leverage Inc.'s youngest member, eyes riveted on the San Diego cityscape visible out the window.

"What are you up to Raul?" Kim breathed to no one in particular. "What's your game?"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Damn it; what was this guy trying to pull? Abby had been there for the Possible family through thick and thin. It was her job and above all her privilege to protect Kim, Shego, and all members of that family. They…those two women weren't just her protectees…those children weren't just her charges…they were her family! She'd been assigned to protect Kim and…and those two had made her feel like so much more. And with a child of her own, she knew that there was nothing that Kim and Shego would do for Brady, or Seamus, or herself. And as she sat in the Global Justice armory, loading rounds into the magazines for her Heckler and Koch USP .45 side-arms, all she could think about was what she was going to do when she got her hands on Raul Senior, old man or no. Holstering her pistols, she began walking around the armory, searching for a primary weapon. Hefting an HK416 rifle into her arms and staring down the Aimpoint CompM4 sight, she liked the feel of it and slung it over her back and began stowing magazines into her pouches from the crate.

"I got a hold of Kim," Abby turned to see Ron entering the room, wearing his usual combat armor, his old Smith & Wessen strapped at his hip. "A small stroke of luck; it happens that Nate Ford was already stateside in San Diego and Kim managed to run into our old friends at Leverage Incorporated. They're going to meet us at the base of the mountains in Ashford."

Nate Ford…Leverage Incorporated…Kim had never made any secrets about her past with the organization. From what Abby had learned, a very young Kim had stumbled onto one of their operations while she was at summer camp, so unbelievably Kim, and had impressed them so much that, with her now being too old for summer camp, she was taken in as an "intern". A few of the members, being former villains, had associations with Shego before she went legit. Global Justice had certainly been aware of the organization. As a former law enforcement officer, she certainly had no problem with the idea of criminals renouncing their ways…but she'd read the files. Some of their practices weren't exactly legal…and again as a former law enforcement officer, she couldn't quite shake the mixed feelings she had about what amounted to a vigilante organization. Still, the Global Justice files showed that Leverage was absolutely loyal to Kim and Shego.

"What's Raul's plan with this?" Abby barked, sheathing the last of the magazines. "I mean, Shego made it abundantly clear what would happen to any who dared try anything lethal on Kim or the rest of the family. Kim…Kim would bring down holy fire on them for anything else. This idiot has to know what's coming his way."

"And that's another thing," Ron sighed, leaning against a weapons crate. "Raul and Junior DO know the score…and if they were trying to get away with something…neither of those two are that sloppy. Junior was there in person and his flunkies grabbed Shego in broad daylight with dozens of witnesses. It's almost like…I don't know…with the message we got, it's almost like they wanted to ensure that we knew. And with only releasing her to Kim and Nate…that seems like he wants all of us together…and whatever they've got going on, they want us to know that they are serious. But…what I can't figure out is why Raul would think that we would do anything BUT take him seriously. I mean, as far as the villains we face go, those two are…well…the least harmful, but they're still super villains. But why bring Nate and Leverage in on this though; that's the problem I can't work out."

Everything about this seemed to raise eyebrows. Every scenario her mind could think up just didn't fit. Secure with her selection of equipment, the pair exited the armory and made the familiar steps to the hangar. The roar of engines and activity collided with them as the doors slid open to reveal the hive of activity that Ron had to have been accustomed to after all these years. Just outside the hanger exit, the CV22 Osprey waiting to take them to Washington was buzzing away. Jogging through the hum of noise, Abby and Ron were greeted by the helicopter's pilot and copilot, promising them a smooth ride for their trip.

The helicopter lifted off the ground and the pilot signaled back that they were free to move around the cabin.

"Dr. Director mobilized Tacoma office for support," Abby began, activating the holo-projector embedded in the wall, bringing up a map of Washington. "According to the message we received, the coordinates are in this section of the Cascades, specifically this section here where this trench shoots off from the main hiking trail."

"How many ways in and out?" Ron asked

"The trench is in a semi-circle with our target area right at the top, the trail circling back to the main trail. Unless they've blocked the other end off, we can just circle back. Senior said no air cover but it looks like the trail cuts through the mountainside, making an ambush from that side unlikely. On the right side, we'd see them long before they were within range."

"Well," Ron ran his finger along the projection of the trail. "The trail looks narrow so probably best to keep the party small. I'm thinking you, me, Kim, Nate, and Elliot Spencer. We keep Global Justice on standby at the base of the mountain. We should have a about a company of HRT to back us up."

"You know, I almost wish Raul Senior would give us an excuse to sick HRT on him. At the very least, I really feel like shooting something right now and then turning said something over to Shego for a little plasma skeet shooting."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Oh God; her head…her head was killing her. Had…had somebody ripped it off and played tennis with it? This was…ARGH…a hangover mixed with a migraine with a few blows to the head with a ballpeen hammer sprinkled in for good measure. The last thing Shego remembered was…her eyes shot open, stabbing cerebral pain or no. She'd been in front of the school…and "Orsine"? How could she have been so stupid? Rearrange the letters and you got "Senior". That was one of the aliases Raul and Junior used when they were trying to travel under the radar. And she stumbled into their trap like…like a pig to slaughter. Had…had she managed to activate the fire alarm? Barb and the other office staff had to have seen what happened. And the office knew after Kimmie's kidnapping to instantly pull…wait a minute! Slowly her eyes began to adjust to the poor lighting in the rom. This was…she was in the Council Chamber? The crimson leather sofa, that…that would be the bar over there in the corner. Glancing up, she could see a crystal chandelier. When had they gotten around to installing that? And she herself was…she was strapped into one of the ergonomic desk chairs surrounding the conference table. If she was lucky…she flared her plasma, testing her bonds. Well…Raul WAS a council member. He'd at least been smart enough to take her powers into account.

"Well, Lord," Shego eyed the ceiling. "Thank you for teaching me this lesson in humility. Maybe now you can help me find a way out of this mess?"

"My deepest apologies for having to summon you in such a way, my dear Shego." Shego's eyes darted around to the hallway, the figure dark and shadowy but the voice unmistakably that of the elder Brazilian tycoon. He clapped his hands and a fire materialized in the fireplace and several of the lights sparked to live, bathing the room and Shego's captor in an orange glow. "But I regret that it was unavoidable."

"Raul, so help me, if you weren't an old man," Shego grumbled, refusing to give up the fight on the bonds holding her wrists together. "Make no mistake. I like you, at least as far as villains go but yanking me out of school and holding me captive to stop Kimmie is SO going to only make it worse for you." And it would too if Shego had anything to say about the matter. Junior had grabbed her and…a knot instantly formed in her stomach. What if…Raul wouldn't have dared to…

"Ah, I see by the look on your face that you fear for your daughters."

"You son of a BITCH; if you did anything to them…"

"Shego, please believe me when I say that I have given no such orders and would abhor any such person that did. I assure you that they are still safe in Middleton. Junior made it abundantly clear that should any man lay a hand on any of your darlings, the end result would be most unpleasant for them. As a parent myself, I wouldn't ever put you or your wife through such a thing."

Her eyes focused on the man. Not a twitch or a shake; he was telling the truth. At least here was that, not that it made whatever cockamamie plan Raul had cooked up make any more sense. Kidnapping her was a strange move in and of itself but bringing her here of all places?

"Look Raul," Shego groaned. "I've got a whopper of a headache right now. Just tell me in plain English what's going on and I'll see to it that Kim goes easy on you when she finds you. Because understand me when I say that my wife WILL find you, even here."

"Oh, of that I am quite certain. For, you see, I've given Kim Possible our exact coordinates. You see, Kim Possible and an old mentor of hers have stumbled onto my affairs and I would merely like the chance to explain myself. With you as my guest, I have insurance that both your wife and Nathan Ford will arrive in time for us to do something about the catastrophe we will soon find ourselves in."

It was absolutely incredible that he could sound so sincere with the word "guest", like he'd just invited her to tea and…wait; what? Nathan Ford? Raul was getting Nate involved in…whatever was going on? Not unlike Kim, Nate ford was an adversary from the old days when Shego operated as a cat burglar. But, with marrying Kim, he'd actually become something of a friend. From what Kimmie had told her, Nate and the entire Leverage team had been something of mentors to Kim and Ron when they were just starting out. But last Shego knew, he and Sophie had retired from the Robin Hood shtick and had a place in Hawaii and a daughter themselves.

And did Raul actually use the term "catastrophe"?

"Raul…for heaven's sake, remember the migraine. WHAT are you up to?"

"As you wish; straight to the point. I am acting on behalf of the Council. It would seem that my fellow council member's relative has elected to ally himself with…well…let us just say it is someone who the Council has been attempting to hinder for some time now but to very little avail. The rest of the Council did not feel that Drakken could be impartial enough in handling this affair so the Council saw fit to bestow the responsibility on my son and I. Stop Edward Lipsky and the Scarlet Crane by any means necessary."

_Author's Notes:_

_As I said in Wedding Planner Blues, I really like the idea of bad guys with a conscience and I think the Council is a good representation of this. Like with Leverage, no one is so far gone that they are beyond redemption._


	6. Chapter 6

It sounded clichéd but things were entirely too quiet. The terrain didn't really allow for it but their present circumstances had all the earmarks of a trap…but damn it if this wasn't the only way to her wife's location. Kim and the others had made record time up the pacific coast…but Raul's gambit…whatever it was…still made no more sense in here in Washington than it did back in San Diego. This WASN'T Raul's style. More than that, it wasn't Motor Ed's style either, resorting to kidnapping. But they were here…and Raul had Shego.

But as Kim trekked through the brisk air of the Cascade Mountains in October, she couldn't help but feel supremely glad to have those closest to her backing her up. Nate, Elliot, Ron, Abby; if Shego was in trouble, there were no others that she'd rather have on her side.

The group came to a halt outside a man-sized door, right at the peak of the trail's arc. "We're at the door, Hardison. Are you sure we're alone?"

"Yeah, there's nobody within fifty miles," His voice crackled over the ear piece. "But they have some mondo shielding and firewalls covering this place. I'll try to crack it but until I do, I have no idea what's in there or what you could be facing."

"Roger that," She turned to her party. "Okay, we're essentially going in blind here. Abby, you're armed so you take point. Elliot, you bring up the rear. Above all, we stay together…"

…_SSSHHHHHHHHH…_

Kim whirled around to face the pressurized door swinging open. Her hands slid to her eskrima sticks. Oh, what fresh hell was this? Through the pitch black of the cave, Kim could make out the sound of footfalls on the hard ground. Slow and even; one person then, not in a rush to get anywhere. Kim's grip on her weapons tightened and she and Elliot leapt to the sides of the door, Abby taking up a shooting position farther back. Whatever was about to come into the light was about to have a nasty little surprise waiting for…SHEGO! Emerging from the inky darkness was none ofther than her wife, not a scratch on her nor any easily recognizable devices.

"Eme…are…are you okay?"

"My apologies for summoning you in such a way, Mrs. Possible."

SENIOR! Kim yanked her eskrima sticks out and leaped into a fighting position. Shego DID appear unharmed…so she couldn't entirely justify hurting him too much…but OH did she ever want to, seventy year old man or no.

"Raul…you've got some nerve," Kim snarled, inching towards her wife like a wolf getting between a predator and her den. "I have no idea what you're planning but my wife is coming with…"

"Kim," Shego's touch was like a bolt of lightning. Kim's eyes darted to her green skinned lover, but her batons remained in their fighting position. Shego sounded like…was she about to say what Kim thought she was? "Things have gotten…complicated. Raul wants to offer a truce so we can stop a bigger threat."

Wha…BIGGER threat?

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Kim, I…I know that there are no secrets between the two of us. I may never be able to forgive myself for keeping this from you but…I couldn't trust the authorities with this kind of information. It wasn't because I was trying to protect them…well…I guess it was sort of like that…but as long as this place remains secret, it keeps things from getting…worse…in the world. For I don't know how long, since the beginning of the Cold War I think, a council of the most powerful villains in the world has met in this council chamber to enforce…I guess what you could call their laws. After WWII, pretty much the entire world saw what true evil really was…and the most powerful crime syndicates in the world met and resolved to devote all of their combined resources to see to it that it NEVER went that far again. As the years went by, as their resources increased, and as technology advanced, the council became more powerful among the villain community and more feared. They would never turn a fellow villain into the authorities but they would devote all their resources to being able to make life as difficult as possible for the rule breaker.

I was a member back when I was with Drakken. I…I'd seen true evil in my life and…and I was prepared to do ANYTHING to keep that from happening. But before I'd met Drakken, I was punishing the entire world, thinking that everyone was to blame for what had happened to me. But…but the Council provided a focal point for that anger. I was able to find satisfaction in exacting my revenge with near infinite resources at my disposal…if it weren't for them, the council would've likely gone after me and with what I can do, I always had this sneaking suspicion that I'd be the exception to the rule of putting a literal stop to them.

Anyway, through my partnership with Drakken, I was part of the council for years. By the time I left, it was me, Drakken, DN Amy, Raul, Monkey Fist, Duff Killigan, and Professor Dementor. Whenever one received word of any activity by anyone that they felt was going too far was received, one member would call the others and we'd all meet back here to hear the case and decide on a course of action. You remember that week back in March when I disappeared?" Kim nodded her head. "Well I was calling the council together to plead my case against Sheldon Director. I of course lost my status when I went legit but…what Sheldon did, turning Bonnie loose in that kind of psychological condition without exercising any form of control…and shooting Gracie out of the sky like that…they needed to know about it. They've done as much as I expected them to and as much as we can expect.

When Minnie discovered the pattern of activity in California, we were only half right in our assumptions. Raul knew what Motor Ed was going after and attempted to keep it from him, banking on the protocol of one villain not going after the assets of another…but something's made Ed go completely off the deep end, more than usual. And according to Raul's information, it's this Scarlet Crane, some entity I am completely unfamiliar with."

Shego looked out at the table surrounded by a series of utterly dumbfounded faces. Well…she couldn't really blame them. To any outside observer, villains with a conscience would've been an eye opener in any respect. But her eyes focused on Kim, studying her reaction. Shego hid nothing from her wife. Every skeleton, every dark spot that Shego was emotionally able to bring up, she'd shared with Kim and had no regrets. Kimmie had been her rock, her North Star in a dark sea. But this…this had been something that…if Kim didn't ask about it, Shego just couldn't trust that anyone in authority wouldn't try to descend on this place and try to scoop up everyone, throwing the entire villain community into chaos. Kim likely would've bowed to Shego's advice on this…but Betty Director; any number of governments where each of them was wanted?

"Kimmie…Princess…would you please say something?"

Kim looked towards Shego, looking as if she was still trying to make sense of everything that was put in front of her. "I…I guess this is just a very big shock. I…I guess I understand why you kept this a secret and I always knew that…that…" Kim's hand slid across the table and clasped Shego's. "It's okay. I…I'm just glad you aren't hurt."

"Okay…this is all very informative but how do we know that all of this isn't just one big crock?" Elliot growled, glaring daggers at Raul.

"You're going to have to trust me on this," Shego sighed, hiding an eye roll. "If Raul is claiming this to be on orders from the Council, then I believe it hole heartedly."

"Indeed, Mr. Spencer; I understand your trepidation at trusting me. It is quite understandable. But Shego is correct. Council business is something that we do not take lightly. Furthermore, as difficult as it is for me to admit this, the situation is serious enough that I fear I am unable to fulfill my sworn duty without the assistance of Leverage Incorporated and Team Possible."

"All to put the brakes on this 'Scarlet Crane'? Who…or what exactly is the Scarlet Crane?" Nate replied, turning to face his old adversary.

"That's what is the most troublesome about this opponent," Raul continued, powering up the holo-projector in the middle of the table. "I regret to say that our quarry is most adept at remaining anonymous to not only the legitimate authorities of the world but to our forces as well. Whether the Scarlet Crane is a single person or a group is completely unknown. The closest we've been able to come is obtaining an image of this young lady," An image appeared on the screen of a woman maybe a little younger than Kim, short dirty blonde hair, an eye patch over one eye, and a host of scars across her face. By the looks of the surroundings, whoever this was, Shego placed her somewhere in the Middle East, probably Cairo or Damascus. "Yet again, the Scarlet Crane's capacity for anonymity astounds us as the only name we can put to this face is Harper, more than likely an alias. It is completely unknown in what capacity she functions within the organization but she is our only lead to this vile organization. Our last reports had her in Dubai."

"Awfully noble talk coming from a villain," Elliot grumbled.

"Elliot, knock it off," Kim barked, glaring daggers at her old friend. "Let him talk." She turned back to their old adversary. "What's so special about this organization, Raul? Why are you and the other major villains after them?"

"That's a fair question, given the circumstances. You see, as your wife said, we uphold our code of conduct for all those claiming to be one of us. We do not condone the kidnapping nor harming of children, the direct targeting of civilian populations; had Duff and I been quicker, we'd have been able to put a stop to Heinrich's assault on Montreal. We see to it that when a villain conducts an operation, it is an operation in support of a viable cause. Our greatest crime is chaos, anarchy. The Scarlet Crane exists for no other reason than to cause chaos and danger to billions of people. You may recall the assault on the Italian national bank, the sabotage of the Chinese national defense grid, and the crippling of Techron Industries' financial network? All were the result of the Scarlet Crane and all utterly devastating to the areas and chipped away at the stability of the world. And for some reason that still eludes our forces, Edward has decided to throw his lot in with them. Whatever they are planning, one way or another, it must be stopped! I will continue to do what I can from my end…but I implore you all, I know you to be honorable people and…and the only groups that stand enough of a chance to put a stop to this!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

She…she needed to be out there! Momma…Momma was snatched right out of school by the Seniors and…and GRRRRRRR; She wanted to just climb into a Raptor, fly to wherever those rich jerks were holding her and unleash a volley of JDAM 1000 lb. explosives on them and blow them to the moon. But right now, Gracie had to just content herself with hammering into a punching bag in the GJ gym. She was HEALTHY! The doctor had given her a clean bill of health…and what was the point of having that if she couldn't go out and help her parents when they were in trouble? This was just so…UNFAIR! Her fist hammered into the bag one last time with a definitive _THUMP_.

"Gracie?" A small voice came from behind her.

Gracie whirled around…coming face to face with an Emily Possible, looking very scared and on the verge of tears. Oh man…in the blink of an eye, she went from being furious at the world to utterly furious at herself. She…she had been bitching about her woes and…and had completely forgotten her sisters and baby brother. She'd grown up "knowing" that her mothers were pretty much unbeatable, the twins too. But…there had been missions…and Gracie had recently had a GOOD look at what those were like…where…where Mom had to escape from a prison camp…or Momma …where it looked like that they might not…but they would…Momma would be okay! But there were two little girls very much in need of their big sister to reassure them.

The tears started falling as Emily ran up to her big sis and was engulfed in a hug. "Shhhhh, it's going to be okay, Em. Momma's going to be just fine. I promise." Gracie sighed as she let the younger Possible weep freely into her shoulder, running her hand through Emily's hair like Mom and Momma always did with all of them. Once Emily had had a good cry, Gracie elected to take her back to where Seamus was keeping an eye on the others. By then, Emily had calmed down and taken a seat next to her twin sister and contented herself with playing with Brady. As much as Gracie still wanted to vent some frustrations on an innocent punching bag, with Abby gone on the mission too, the twins needed her more. Her fingers felt a little stiff as she pulled off her Everlast gloves and she flexed her digits a little to get the feeling back. Seamus sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

"How ye holding up, lassie?"

"Oh, the usual; wishing I was out there with them," At least Emily looked to be calmed down. "Still better than Emily though. Seamus…can I ask you something?"

"Of course Gracie," Seamus turned to her, looking a little concerned.

"I…I was in the gym, venting some frustration, when Emily came in on the verge of tears and…I…I was so mad about not being able to go and help Mom that I…I didn't even think about…Seamus, am I too quick to violence?"

Seamus let out a deep sigh. "Gracie, lass, I ken your Mums are going to be just fine. But lassie, as sure as I am that ye will end up just like them, I know ye probably don't need me reminden' ye, but ye almost died back in New Zealand. Ye've already done more than some lads have done in a lifetime. But…as I said before, your Mums are going to be fine. But fighting…Abby would probably do me in fer puttin' it this way but…fighting be like a good dram o' Irish whiskey. It be sweet to drink but bitter to pay for. Me captain in the IRA always said that every mornin' like a prayer to the Virgin Mary. In those days, he was prepared to do anythin' for the cause but ken the toll it would take on us. We had lads fighting with us that were nae much older than ye. Lassie…you're just young. Mark me words, I dinna know of anyone who cares as much about others as ye do. You'd go out of your way to help, no matter the cost. You're a good lass, a good soul. And an Irish poet kens a good soul when he sees one. You'll be okay."

Fighting was like Irish whiskey? Okay…it probably WAS a good thing that Abby didn't hear that bit. It even brought a smile to her face. Mom and Momma had let her fly air cover for them on occasion and everyone agreed that she could go on missions when she turned sixteen…only eight more months…she WANTED to help the world just like her parents did…but only three days ago at Church, Father Mitch had been talking about the sin of Wrath. "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it." She could hear Father Mitch quoting Psalms as if he were standing right next to her. Maybe it was a Priest thing but…how did that guy always seem to know the right thing to say? And so many of his sermons…just made her feel better.

"I guess…I don't know why it affects the twins worse than me. I mean…I still remember when that Russian maniac tried to kill Mom and me when I was seven. The twins…as much as we all want to be like Mom and Momma…they haven't really had the experiences that I have."

A clatter suddenly sounded, drawing their attention away from each other. Deputy Director Will Du came darting down the hall, shouting for those around him to gang way. His almond eyes caught Gracie's green and he skidded to a halt by the group. "We just got word from Kim. They found Shego and she's fine."

There was a collective sigh at the good news.

"Their transport should be landing in a few hours."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Precious few words were exchanged on the flight to Middleton and Shego couldn't really blame anyone. A super-villain that even had the Council scared didn't seem to even phase Kim. Shego's little redhead had hardly left her side. To look at her, you'd think that they'd only just heard that it was going to rain which meant that they'd get to cuddle up for the afternoon. God, her princess was…unlike anyone else in the world. The Leverage crew on the other hand…this was just simply not their element. She and Nate had crossed swords in her early days as a thief and she knew a few other villains who had as well but since establishing Leverage and recruiting Sophie, Hardison, and the others, supervillains had fallen off their targeting radar, focusing more on the corporate and societal criminals that in Shego's opinion, even then, were a far greater danger to the world than Duff, Raul, or Monty. Looking at the others seated in the cabin as the jet was about to land, everyone looked quite on edge.

"You know," Shego leaned in and nuzzled her wife's neck. "I know it turned out to be unnecessary but…you riding in on your white horse the way you did was incredibly romantic. It's got me a little…" Kim's earlobe got a little nibble. "It's got me a little in the mood."

Kim let out a quiet laugh. "Girls like you get girls like me in nothing but trouble," was her reply, flashing her wife a wry smile. "We just found out about the mother of all cyber-terrorists, so bad that even the other villains can't bring them to heel, and you're feeling 'in the mood'? Hard to believe sometimes that you're the mother of four kids."

"Oh really, Miss Egyptian Princess and Indiana Jones costume hidden in the closet?"

"Well…point taken. What a pair we make, hey?"

It truly was unbelievable. The world was hanging in the balance and Kim only had eyes for Shego. There wasn't a scratch on her but you'd have thought that…wait a minute. Shego's mind began flashing back to the Kim and Gracie's argument last week. Kim had gone more Momma Bear than Shego had in nearly sixteen years combined and…and Kim should've at least been formulating a plan to hunt down this "Harper" and beat whatever information they could out of her in the hopes of finding Ed and whoever Scarlet Crane was. And…well, no spouse would ever object to their spouse being affectionate, especially when the spouse was a knock-out like Kim…and intimacy had NEVER been a problem for the two of them…but Shego was starting to feel very concerned. Was…was this something she should try and convince Kimmie into going to a therapist for? Maybe it was unconscious, maybe not, but Shego's arm hugged her wife protectively.

"It's going to be okay Kimmie. It's going to be okay."

The Gulfstream G650 jet began its decent and slowed to a halt on the tarmac and taxied to the nearest available space. The cabin slowly emptied, Kim and Shego being the last to leave. As Shego emerged, she inhaled a deep breath of the October evening air and looked to the SUV parking next to the plain and rapidly being vacated by her children. Nicky was nestled securely in Gracie's arms and the twins looked to be half desperate to just run at them. Shego gave the party a wave and that seemed to be all the invitation that the girls needed. With a small _oof_, the eldest member of the Possible family wrapped her arms around Emily and Zoe and pulled them tight.

"We were so worried, Momma," Emily gasped, planting a kiss on Shego's cheek.

"Oh, I was just fine. Your Mom and Abby came right to the rescue. I'm just fine," Shego assured, letting the twins go and getting back up to greet her eldest daughter. "But they didn't get me until after I heard your solo. I know I've said it before, but you sing like an angel, my little French Revolutionary!" Gracie flashed her a million dollar smile and handed Nicky off to her waiting hands. "And what about you, my little bundle of trouble; did you miss Momma?"

"We all did, Momma," Gracie gave a small laugh. "But Aunt Betty wants a debriefing right away. She promised we could be the ones to meet you first if we took you straight there afterwards."

Well…that was inevitable given the circumstances. Both Nate and Kim saw Shego's point that the world was better off with the council intact and that it should remain secret…for the time being at least. But both Kim and Shego knew Betty well enough to know that the seasoned espionage agent and director was going to want information on the circumstances of Shego's capture. To that end, everyone involved had agreed to keep the Council under wraps for now and to just bring Betty up to speed on Scarlet Crane and get what help they could on that front, maybe even get a place to start looking.

"Well, lead the way Gracie."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Well…I suppose it's not the most ridiculous notion I've ever heard, Raul Senior letting you go. We're just glad you're okay, Shego," Betty sighed, taking a seat at the head of the conference table, gesturing for everyone present to take their seats. Betty WAS usually pretty stoic when it came to public emotion but Shego was grateful for the hug nonetheless. At the introduction of Nate and Elliot, you could pretty much cut the tension in the room with a knife. But, as predicted, information on Shego's ordeal was her top priority. Therefore, the nearest conference room was their inevitable destination. "I'm still not exactly clear on what Raul's motivation was for kidnapping you if only to let you go. What's the thinking?"

"Well, Raul and I have always been on relatively good terms, even after Kim and I got married. I guess you could call it respect among adversaries. Besides, in our experiences, Raul's schemes tend to be a little low on the global threat list. I'd never hesitate to put a stop to his schemes but neither could I quite be as harsh with him as I could with say Drakken or Killigan. As far as I can figure, he had Junior grab me as insurance that he'd be taken seriously. I mean, I was unconscious so I didn't have a good sense of time, but he did let you guys know where to find me and set me free the minute they arrived. And based on what I heard…we're lucky that he grabbed me."

"Yes, the information about Scarlet Crane," Betty groaned, slouching down in her chair. "They've been on our radar for several years but…Raul wasn't exaggerating. Like Shakespeare, you could fit the amount of concrete facts we have about them on a notecard. This organization has been a top priority since before I was running Global Justice. They are…simply anarchists. Their only goal is to sow chaos wherever they can, no matter the cost, no matter the casualties. If Raul Senior's organization is set against them, I'm not about to complain."

"He said that the only lead they had was someone called Harper," Elliot mentioned.

Betty entered a few keystrokes into the panel and the holo-projector in the middle came to life, illuminating an image of their only lead. "Birth name is Jacoba-Cornelia Meekhof but goes by the hacker alias 'Harper'. She spent four years in Recces Special Forces, was an expert in cyber warfare, and thought by many to be one of the top minds in that field. As with all things related to Scarlet Crane, we have absolutely no idea what made her go rogue. All we know is that she's Scarlet Crane's advance scout for any operation. My predecessor had issued a kill on sight order and it's still in effect but this woman is a ghost. She knows how to disappear and when we ARE lucky enough to identify her, she manages to slip through our grip before we can tighten it. But at present, she's our only link to Scarlet Crane, if you can call her a link at all."

"Beg pardon Betty but that's not entirely true," Shego mentioned, plugging her Shegophone into the terminal in front of her and activating it. "Thankfully we've got another avenue to pursue." As much as Shego's ego wanted to go after Harper, give her a real run for her money, if whoever was at the helm of Scarlet Crane was really as good as they seemed, you could bet dollars to donuts that in the end, they would end up finding Shego and the others before it became vice versa. That left only one thing Shego could lay easy money on. "For reasons we still can't comprehend, Ed Lipsky has thrown his lot in with them. I mean, come on. Grease Monkey's about as subtle as a Ferrari in Amish country. Mentally speaking, this guy CAN'T stay out of the spotlight for long. He's been getting his hands on high performance machinery and we all know what that means. Now, he only just started snatching goodies a few months ago so I'd wager he's still working on completing his shopping list. I think our best option is to put our resources into finding him."

"I agree," Betty agreed readily. "All of us are familiar with Lipsky and how he operates so that makes him the obvious target. Our techs have a list of the things he's stolen thus far and I'll put Intel and Engineering to work identifying potential targets based on what he's already stolen." Betty's attention turned to Nate and Elliot. "Mr. Ford, Mr. Spencer, I'm familiar with your work…questionably legal though it is…but with all due respect, I question whether or not this falls within your area of expertise. Kim and Shego however, speak very highly of your organization's abilities…and we're going to need all the help that we can get for what's to come."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"My God Kim; sometimes I still have trouble believing that the awkward little redhead that we took under our wing grew up into such a success."

This wasn't the first time Nate had set foot in "The Palace" as Kim and Shego called it. Though Hardison had never dared try, Nate couldn't help but assume that not even HE could crack the security that protected this house. Not to mention the arsenal that the family's head of security kept locked securely inside, the house had to be one of the most secure in the country…AND had enough weaponry to fight a small war. But if it kept his little Kimmie safe, you'd never hear Nate say a word against it. As his childhood idol Hannibal Smith had always said, "Overkill is underrated".

"And what, may I ask, is so unbelievable about me being a success?" The younger protégé smirked as she handed him a Blood Orange Soda, one of her wife's many culinary concoctions. Of everyone he knew, as skilled as she was at mixing drinks, she'd been one of the driving forces behind Nate's quest to give up alcohol, always his cheerleader when he felt tempted, so much like his son had been when he had hard times. He took the drink and patted her on the back.

"Okay, fair enough. If ANYONE was destined to make a splash in the world, it would've been you. I should tell you that Eliza practically begged for Sophie and I to take her to the midnight release of _The Fiery Sky_. I swear; she and I are devouring a _Feronia Syndicate_ book almost once a week."

Kim led him out to the patio where the rest of the party were seated in various spots, engaged in conversation while Abby's husband and Elliot focused on the chicken breasts sizzling on the grill. Looking at the scene before them, you could almost forget about what was in their futures. It also brought a twinge of regret at the back of Nate's mind. Sophie and Eliza would've loved to be here. But…as long as Scarlet Crane was out there…Nate couldn't shake the feeling that they had to be aware that someone was sniffing around their tail. That meant that for now, his wife and daughter were safest as far away from him as could be. He'd have to call Sophie tomorrow morning, give her an update on the situation, then…no; he had to keep his mind on the mission at hand.

"Tomorrow," He said to no one in particular. "Tomorrow we go to work."

_Author's Notes:_

_Sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter. Hope you like it so far. Look for revelations of exactly how dark Scarlet Crane has it in themselves to be._


	7. Chapter 7

"This is Middleton Niner-7-7 calling Canberra Tower. We're requesting clearance for landing."

"Roger that, Niner-77; you're second in line. Circle around to the south and turn to course 1-1-9 and land on runway Alpha Three. Welcome to the Land Down Under."

Shego brought the plane into a descent and maneuvered around to the designated coordinates, descending through the cloud layer and over the lush landscape splayed out around her. Mission or no, Australia had to be one of the most topographically beautiful countries in the world. The coastal regions were lush and green and the interior was filled with rolling plains, not at all unlike Kim's Uncle Slim's ranch in Montana. The people were friendly, the food was…memorable. But…as much as she'd like to spend a little time on the beach, maybe a little shopping in Canberra or Sydney, they had a mission to accomplish. Intel had named the Canberra Automotive Studies Institute and Corino Automotives in Phoenix AZ as possible targets for Motor Ed based on what had been stolen thus far. Nate, Elliot, and Kim drew hot and dry Arizona…while Shego, Parker, and Hardison meanwhile got to touch down in paradise.

"To tell you the truth," Parker smiled from the co-pilot's seat. "I've always wanted to see Australia."

"You're kidding?" Shego breathed, the private jet sinking lower and lower. At one thousand feet, Shego dropped the landing gear and raised the nose. "With all the heists you pulled, all the work you've done with Nate and the others…you've never been to the 'Land of Plenty'?"

Parker's cheeks colored a little, VERY uncharacteristic for the reformed cat burglar. All of a sudden, it got even more fun than Shego hoped; the only thing better than being in Australia was being in the country with people who'd never been before. There'd be stakeouts where they dined on dampers and jam; maybe some seared Tasmanian Ocean trout for dinner. Now Shego REALLY regretted not having the time to sight-see.

"I just booked us a couple of rooms at the Alistair Hotel," Hardison called from the cabin area. It wasn't like Global Justice wasn't willing to put them up at any number of locations and free of charge to boot. Why did Hardison INSIST on skirting the law with their accommodations? It was like he just wasn't happy with the end result unless it involved hacking a network. Yes, Betty had given Leverage a little leash with their methods on this one…but hacking a five-star hotel's network had to be like finger painting to a guy like him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Hardison? I've got our accommodations handled."

The wheels hit the tarmac with a loud _thump_, prompting Shego to hit the brakes and start taxing to her designated parking spot. All in all, a pretty smooth landing. When the Learjet came to a halt, Shego powered down and retreated to the cabin to grab her luggage from the rear compartment. Hardison and Parker stood at the base of the tarmac, waiting to follow Shego's lead. And she had a little surprise for them. Pulling out her Shegophone, the number was already keyed up.

"Hey, we just landed; yeah; the blue and white Learjet. See you in a minute."

"Who was that?" Parker asked, hefting her knapsack onto her back.

"Oh, you'll see in just a minute." Boy, it was hard to keep from smiling. She motioned to in the direction of the nearest terminal. Even in the villain community, let alone the reformed villain community, knew exactly what a network of safe-houses and hideouts across the country. In the old days, she'd been limited to whatever vacation destinations that didn't have a warrant out for her. A couple of big heists, a few prudent investments later, and the plasma-slinging Shego could was living it up in Cabo, Thailand, Dubai, Sochi, Lapland, Prague, Mykonos, and as it turned out, Canberra. And THERE was their ride! Fast approaching their position was a black Cadillac Escalade. Coming to a next to the plane, a dark-skinned, athletic woman clad in practical work wear ran around to open the door.

"Afternoon, Mrs. Possible," She cheerily replied, motioning to the door. "Have a pleasant flight?"

"First rate, Miranda," Shego replied, trotting to the back of the SUV to dump her luggage. "First rate."

"None of the family with you this trip?"

"My two friends and I have some work to do," The rear hatch lifted and Shego pitched her duffle into the back, taking Parker and Hardison's and doing the same. "Kim was called away on a separate mission."

"Well, don't worry," She assured, shutting the door as Parker and Hardison climbed in. "I'll have you to your apartment in no time."

The Escalade roared to life and turned around towards the exit.

"Parker, Hardison, meet Miranda Thompson. You've met our Head of Security, Abby Normal O'Sullivan, I assume? Well years ago, about the time Kimmie graduated from college, we all decided to take a little family vacation, trip around the world together. Back in my villain days, I had a whole network of safe-houses that made for excellent vacation homes. Well, anyways, we landed at our place in Cabo to start out…and encountered nothing but trouble the further we went. It turned out that Drakken stumbled onto our itinerary online, clueless enough not to know what it was, and used it to try out this idiotic weather changing machine he'd been working on. Long story short, immediately after getting back, Abby started recruiting a part-time security force for all of our vacation homes. Wherever we decide to go, Abby gives them a heads up so security preparations are ready upon arrival. And Miranda's been doing a bang up job ever since. She works for one of the best private security firms in the territory and in her off time has the terrible burden of babysitting us."

"Ah, no trouble at all, Mrs. Possible," Miranda smiled.

Parker and Hardison got the nickel tour around the city and in no time, the Escalade was approaching the luxury apartment complex that housed Shego's favorite vacation home. Miranda deposited them at the front, assuring Shego that her team had gone through the apartment with a fine toothed comb and found nothing, bidding the party goodbye as the bellhops trotted up to take their bags up to the tenth floor. Martin, the building manager, was as usual there to greet one of his oldest and most valued customers, assuring Shego that if she needed anything, she was to call his office immediately. Per the routine, Shego thanked him for his hospitality and lead her party to the elevator.

"So," Hardison breathed as the elevator compartment slowly began to rise. "Are you like…filthy stinkin' rich or something?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Oh, if only she could save that image forever, she could die happy. "I'm just a high school English teacher. Sure, my wife's an award winning author, but I make in excess of 50k a year. I'm a simple woman with simple tastes…who may have been blessed with a few small luxuries."

"Yeah…like the luxury of that Van Gough over there?" As the elevator doors opened, Parker shot out, eyes darting around the entryway. "And a Rembrandt? And…THE IVORY HORSE OF BENIN?"

Wow…should she TELL Parker that all of those were either purchased legally or bestowed as legitimate gifts? It was almost cute. Parker was like a kid in a candy shop. Admittedly, the Possible family didn't use this apartment for family affairs, more like Kim and Shego's getaway place. Trotting through the entryway, Shego emerged into the familiar setting of the living room, Victorian furniture covering every inch of it, the acrylic coffee table in the center standing out as the only piece that didn't fit the motif…but Kim had been insistent…and had brought out that DAMN puppy dog pout…and that was history. Right now, Shego's stomach was grumbling. And being in Canberra…she had a hankering for some homemade fish and chips.

"Hey, I think I've got all the necessary stuff," Shego called out as she made a bee line for the kitchen at the far side with the sprawling view of the city. "Everyone okay with fish and chips for dinner?"

"Uh…Shego?"

That tone was never good. Shego turned to look back into the living room and…oh; they found those, did they? Hardison's hand had frozen on the edge of the wall…which activated the release panel…which revealed Kim and Shego's armory/workroom. The state-of-the-art GJ issue computer system should've caught Hardison's eye…but admittedly the rows of assault rifles, shotguns, and side arms were a bit of a distraction…but Abby had INSISTED on equipping each of their overseas residences with at least a bit of firepower.

"Yeah…uh…never let it be said that we don't prepare or anything. Our head of security made a few modifications to my original design; rarely if ever do I arm up; one of the perks of being a meta-human. Anyway, you guys can stow your bags in one of the extra bedrooms. I'll get started on dinner."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Oh, it had been so long since Kim got to feel the rush of beginning a well-planned con. Her spine was all a tingle. Wade's chameleon-flage prototypes that Ron and Shego had used in Helsinki had been a major breakthrough but at this point, were still in their infancy, prone to interference and malfunction. Besides which…Kim just loved this! Maybe it was Sophie's influence leaking out but…this was a rush like no other. Of the two possibilities that Intel had dug up, Corino Automotive Industries had looked like the toughest nut to crack. Most of the other facilities that had been hit were small to middling in size. Most of the larger operations wouldn't have bat an eyelash…except or Corino Automotives. Man, Karl Ortega was about as paranoid as they came. Even the slightest whisper of trouble in the industry he sealed up his factories like a drum. Sure, Betty could've just requisitioned the new precision turbocharge system they were working on…but that would take time they didn't have and lawyers they really didn't want to tango with. Nobody wanted to put GJ in the position of having to risk being found out stealing from private companies…so that left Nate's patented approach. She, Nate, and Elliot had touched down at Phoenix Airport and immediately got to work.

"What are you feeling, the Cuban Sandwich?" Elliot offered as they climbed into the rental car.

"Are you kidding," Kim barked, turning on the ignition and throwing the transmission into drive. "Where are we going to find a dead hooker in three hours?"

"No, I'm actually thinking a version of The Mummy's Tiara with a little White Van Speakers thrown into the mix," Nate replied, leaning back into his seat as Kim turned onto the main road. "Karl Ortega may be more paranoid than Joseph Stalin on a bad day but he wouldn't say no to a good deal."

Sophie had told Kim about that one. The gist of the con was using some kind of fake artifact like a ring or a journal to gain some kind of noble or royal title. She could remember the time the crew employed a version of it to take down a crooked antique dealer in London with a bit of a royal fetish. Hardison had actually MANUFACTURED an 18th century diary and Sophie had used it to dupe the sucker into thinking he could claim a barony or something and the schmuck got pinched at the airport because the box the diary had come in had actually been assembled by Parker, using a pair of antique Russian icons. And the diary actually fell apart just as the Customs agent lifted it out and began grilling him. Quite an achievement considering that Sophie stressed to her junior follower that the con was near impossible in a country with an established nobility like her native England.

"But…doesn't that involve titles of nobility?"

"Sure; but talk to any motor head and they will tell you that a Carrol Shelby Mustang is the royalty of cars. If you want to make a splash in the automotive world, you invoke Shelby."

And so here she found herself, Gucci business suit, blonde wig, and blue contact lenses, sitting in the passenger seat of a Kenworth Semi. She was Barbara Wintergreen, Executive Director of Jericho International Automotive Corporation's High Performance division. She was a shark and the world was her domain. A graduate of Oxford and Cambridge Business School, she was a stock on the rise and made herself a force to be reckoned with. And she feared NO ONE! No, SHE was feared by any who crossed her for nothing would stop her from getting her due. Frankly, she was exactly the kind of corporate scum bag that was Nate's bread and butter.

Elliot pulled the semi to a stop outside the towering office building and "Barbara" slid out of the cab like a python descending from a branch and started marching towards the entrance; and NO body staying in her way for long. Without needing to look, she knew that Cecil, her trusty assistant, was trotting along behind her. As the automatic doors slid open, ice cold eyes swept across the lobby as all eyes were focused on her. Marching in as if she owned the place, her iron gaze fell upon the receptionist, a woman so far beneath her it was as if she were talking to a worm beneath her shoe.

"Ms. Wintergreen has an appointment with Mr. Ortega and she does NOT like to be kept waiting," Nate replied crisply, pulling off nothing less than a perfect English teetotaler accent.

"Uh…of course ma'am," The young woman stuttered, eyes darting to the phone. "I'll…I'll notify him immediately that you've arrived. Please…please have a seat."

Kim flashed the woman an icy glare and reluctantly took a seat, picking up a magazine. It…it was all part of the act, the exact kind of thing Barbara Wintergreen would've done…but Kim couldn't help but flash back to Hemlock Consolidated…and that horrible manager and…well…this was the down side of cons. By now the secretary should've gotten the spa package…nobody would know her as Kim Possible and…maybe there was something she could do after this was all done. She may have a good grifter but…the Christian in her couldn't help but feel guilty.

"Your head in the game, Kim?" Nate whispered, hiding his own face behind a copy of People Magazine.

"Always is," she replied, eyeing him quizzically. First Shego started acting moopy before they left. It was…well, it was almost like Shego had been trying to handle Kim with kid gloves. What the heck was with that? Kim had just been so glad that her Emerald Goddess was safe and sound and wanted to show her that. And now…now Nate was treating her like some pup on her first trip away from the den. Was…was this all going back to New Zealand? Kim had planned to book some time with Dr. Archibald but...with finding Nate and the others in San Diego and Shego being taken…and the Scarlet Crane…NO! Right then she COULD feel her grip on the character slipping! She could get through this con and then…then…

"Uh…Ms. Wintergreen? Mr. Ortega says that he's running a little late but I'm to take you up to his office and extend you every courtesy available."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Please take all the time you need. I look forward to our…working together."

Wow…even after almost twenty years…the way that bastard looked at Kim…Nate had to fight off the urge to just beat the tar out of him. Kim…by all intents and purposes, Kim was his oldest daughter. She was Elliot's kid sister. And NO one dared talk to her like that! If the world hadn't been at stake…no; no, he'd walked out, leaving them at the door to precisely where they needed to be. They needed to just soldier on with the con. Kim was…despite Nate's objections…an adult and they'd seen to it that she could take care of herself, running circles around any hormone-driven schmuck that came her way. And he had more important things to worry about. He couldn't imagine…and frankly couldn't bear to even think about…what Kim was going through in the wake of what happened in New Zealand and…and Shego had mentioned that Kim may have been having a hard time coming to grips with Gracie's accident. Kim SEEMED to be able to keep her head, she swore up and down that she was fine, but…he would die before he let anything happen to Kim…even if that meant protecting her from herself.

The moment Karl Ortega turned the corner, Nate and Kim dove into the broom closet, Kim digging into her briefcase for the two compressed lab coats. Getting this far had been the hard part. Nate had viewed Kim's work at Hemlock and…Sophie was going to be SO proud of her little protégé's performance. Passing herself off as an engineer would be a cake walk. Emerging from the closet, Kim donned her reading glasses and the ensemble was complete. The pair smiled at each other, swiped the keycard a passing employee wouldn't have missed, and the pair was assaulted by the sounds and smells of an engineering lab.

"How are we looking on the cameras, Wade?" Nate heard Kim breath into the mouthpiece.

"You guys are effectively the invisible pair. By my scans, the turbocharger lab should be directly in the cent…"

The line went dead…and that wasn't ever good. Within minutes, the room was bathed in total darkness. Damn it; they were blown! There were at least twenty people between them and the turbocharger and finding it in the dark without any kind of thermal imaging was…worse than impossible. Motor Ed or one of Scarlet Crane's flunkies must already be in the building!

"Kim, what are we…"

"Put these on," Nate felt what seemed like a pair of glasses into his hand. "One of the perks of working for Global Justice is that all your equipment just HAPPENS to be shielded against EMP. Replace your ear piece. They transmit back to Wade via my Kimmunicator. The glasses are a special form of night vision."

Sure enough, Nate donned the glasses and the entire lab seemed to be bathed in an eerie green light. Cell phones must've been prohibited because people in lab coats were scrambling around their stations trying to secure whatever work they had on their desks for fear of losing it in the pitch black dark. He popped the new earbud into his ear, bombarded by the Kim's tech guru's relieved gasps at regaining contact with them. True to Nate's hunch, Wade reported that there was a vehicle fast approaching their location, some kind of modified off-road vehicle with VERY unusual armaments.

"You guys have forty, maybe fifty seconds before they get to the building and likely blow the building open."

Nate turned to Kim…and after over twelve years was still surprised by what he saw. Needing no further instructions, the athletic redhead leapt up onto one of the desks and began darting across the room like a pheasant through a field. She leapt from desk to desk like a ninja in those old kung-fu movies Elliot always watched. Nate looked at his watch; thirty second left. Kim landed at the base of the central station, narrowly missing one of the techs grasping in the dark, likely for the turbo charger…

…_BOOM…_

Nate's hands darted up, ripping off the glasses so as not to be blinded. He had to get to Kim! Midafternoon sunlight filled the room now filled with unconscious and dazed bodies. Standing in the hole that had only seconds ago been the west wall of the engineering lab stood the figure that they'd been searching for, Engineering Genius Edward Lipsky.

"AYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH; AIR GUITAR, BRAW! Now where's that turbocharger?"

Kim…Kim…where was she? All subtlety abandoned, Nate leaped over the unconscious bodies, eyes focused on the center of the room. He could make it. He just had to be quick. He'd promised Shego he'd take care of her…she'd only just survived…and she'd nearly lost her daughter…KIM!

"What's this? Red AND the turbocharger? PARTY ON BROS!"

"ED," Nate belted out. "IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH HER…"

Nate felt something hammer against his knee, throwing him to the ground. He…he needed a gun…a weapon…ANYTHING! He couldn't let them take her, damn the supercharger, damn Scarlet Crane. His limbs screamed out in agony as he hauled himself across the rubble and bodies, trying, willing himself forward to do…SOMETHING! He…he could see black-clad figures heave an unconscious Kim onto their shoulder and…Nate…Nate had to stop…he felt someone lifting him up.

"We're gonna get her back Nate! I swear, we're gonna get her back!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Phoenix Airport's shut down. Arizona State Police have closed the borders. Elliot…Motor Ed's our only chance to find Kim!"

Like he needed some techie nerd to tell him that; the roar of the 4L V-8 engine was like the beating of his own heart. The car was like an extension of his body, one that he would use to take back his friend and strike the fear of God into the bastard that was stupid enough to take her. The car slid between lanes, darted down streets and back-alleys like the other cars weren't even there, never losing sight of his quarry, the black armored dune vehicle plowing down the street, shoving cars into buildings, scattering the innocent bystanders like pebbles on pavement.

The state border was shut down. That was good…but places like this were littered with bush pilots and makeshift runways. Ed was a nut but he wouldn't be stupid enough to go straight to a heavily used airport. He might try to blast his way in, trying to get close enough to a waiting plane or helicopter. "Motor Ed" could definitely be arrogant…but now being part of an organization like Scarlet Crane, Ed had to have learned SOME concept of subtlety or discretion. Ed's vehicle, whatever it was, looked like it could certainly handle rougher terrain. No telling how the Mustang would hold up if they went off-road. Wade said he'd put some kind of James Bond modifications into this but…when one of your crew is snatched, you don't exactly have time to read the manual.

"Motor Ed's not stupid enough to go near Phoenix Airport, Wade," Elliot grunted, swerving around a corner. "He's going to be looking for bush fields. Do whatever you have to do but if even a dragonfly touches down outside the city, I want to know about it."

"The DOD probably won't mind if I 'borrow' one of their satellites."

The cityscape was thinning as the chase began shifting onto the Interstate. Ed HAD to be looking for a bush runway. Scarlet Crane would've given him a heads up about the borders being closed and there wasn't another airport, public or private, in this direction for at least a hundred miles. But…where WAS it? What was their exit strategy? Glancing down at the fuel gage, Elliot felt a twist as fuel was beginning to dwindle. This was going on too…NO!

With a loud _CLANK_, great metal wings began sliding out of the vehicle.

This…this COULDN'T be happening!

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Kim had certainly had worse headaches than this…and anger was a pretty good painkiller. She'd been inches away from the turbocharger and…it could've only been Ed. No other man would desire such overkill for stealing something. Then…Kim must've blanked out for a few minutes, woke up, and found herself being forced to listen to Ed Lipsky's horrendous renditions of otherwise decently classic songs. What was her current situation? She was in…whatever vehicle Ed had concocted for this heist…and seemed to be moving very fast. Glancing out one of the rear windows…likely bulletproof…YES! That had to be Elliot in the Mustang they'd use for the con and he was managing to keep up. Now, inside the vehicle…hands were cuffed behind her back but otherwise no other restraints, not even a seatbelt holding her down. Not only that, it almost felt as if they didn't even give her a thorough frisking. Wow…she almost felt insulted, even or Motor Ed.

Now…she could feel the lock pick hidden in her bracelet…a shake there…a shimmy there…aaaaaand…THERE! There was a barely audible _clink_ as the tiny metal bar hit the bulkhead and was quickly snatched up. God bless the idiots that cuffed you with your hands behind your back! With a poke and a prod, Kim felt the definitive click, the sound of freedom. Now…where was the turbocharger? They could still put a stop to his…

"Brah, I can NOT wait till we hit the beaches in Maui! Nothing but sweet waves, a state-of-the-art exhaust system, and my girl!"

Maui; that was their next target? And they were after an exhaust system? Well, it was something at least. As much as she'd like to, interrogating Ed likely wasn't going to happen this trip; but Maui…if she could get out of here, get word to Eme, Betty, and the others, they'd have a chance. But she still couldn't let Ed or Scarlet Crane get away with the turbocharger, whatever they were planning to use it for. And there was a small C4 pellet also in her bracelet that would be more than adequate to her sneaky little endeavor; but where had…?

The vehicle swerved and there it was! Ed had stashed it under one of the seats opposite her! She had to be quick! She'd make a grab for it, throw open the doors and…well…that was unexpected. A loud _CLANK_ sounded on both sides of her and it became rapidly obvious that the off-road vehicle was indeed lifting off the ground. How the…oh forget that now! If this thing could fly, then they had to have parachutes or…or that jump suit next to the rear hatch would do nicely. She could do this. Kim glanced towards her captors and ever so delicately shed her cuffs and began tiptoeing towards the rear hatch. Grabbing the jump suit and quickly strapping it to her limbs in all the right places, all that was left was the turbocharger. It was still poking out from under the seat and…

"STOP HER!"

With reflexes like a diamond back rattlesnake, Kim's slender but strong fingers wrapped around the stolen device and leapt back, bringing down her free hand on the release button. The hatch shot out and Kim barely had to jump. The suction of the spontaneous loss of pressure practically ripped her off her feet…and then she was weightless, surrounded by a bright blue sky. It…it was indescribably exhilarating…but not so much so that Kim forgot about her bracelet. It felt like crawling through wet clay but the tiny C4 charge popped out into her fingers. Mashing it down on the turbocharger, Kim let go and hurled it as far away from her as possible. With moves that by now were as natural as walking, Kimberly Anne Possible became a streaking bullet plummeting to Mother Earth…in the wake of an explosion.

_Author's Notes:_

_Blame Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and the Jetsons but I guess I'm a sucker for flying cars. _


	8. Chapter 8

Shego took off running down the dark alleyways of the Australian Capitol city, never losing sight of her quarry. She and Parker had spent nearly the entire day combing the city and Hardison spending all the same time hacking into every camera with a wireless connection physically in the city. It was long past dark and Shego had been prepared to return to the apartment when…there she was! It was only for the briefest moments but in those precious few seconds, that scarred face framed by scraggly blonde hair was unmistakable…and icy blue eyes most definitely met determined brown. As if fated by the powers that be, completely by chance, Shego Possible had stumbled onto Jacoba-Cornelia Meekhof. Several athletic movies that Olympic gymnasts would've envied later and the seasoned world saver had made it to the other side of the street just as "Harper" took of down the nearest alley.

"Hardison," Shego gasped as she rounded a corner. "I've got…I've got Harper! She's…_gasp_…she's heading down the alley parallel to Durango boulevard, about twelve yards ahead of me."

What was Harper's game? Based on what Shego had seen of the alleys so far, there weren't any ways to get inside or up the sides of the buildings…and nowhere to hide. Conventional wisdom dictated that when being pursued like this, the best place to hide was in a crowd. Canberra was a decently active night life and even at nine at night, there would be crowds of people. And yet she stuck to the alleys? It was almost like…like she was trying to keep Shego on the hook, ensuring that she stayed just within sight of her pursuer. Something about this wasn't right.

"Hardison, what's at the end of this alley network?"

"Uh…it looks like it dead ends at an abandoned six story building; lots of places to hide in there, girl."

"Oh I don't think she's hiding. You ever get that feeling that you should start empathizing with the worm on the hook? I…I think the building's on a corner. See if…_gasp_…you can have some surprises waiting for them."

Well, the first step in avoiding a trap was recognizing that it was there. They hadn't heard from Nate or Kimmie. They'd easily be able to handle Ed no matter what kind of new crowd he was running in these days. But if she had the opportunity to get her hands on Harper…whether she got her or not, this wasn't an opportunity that Shego could afford to miss. Putting on some speed, she took off down a straight section and dodged around a corner. The building in question was looming in the distance. Broken windows, chunks of brick missing; it certainly looked worthy of being abandoned. Her first thought was at least they'd be on even footing in a building like that…but Harper WAS trying to keep Shego on the line, leading her directly TO that building. Hardison had access to all of Shego and Kim's contacts so if he was able to get a hold of the Australian Feds, Harper and whatever surprises she had waiting would be stuck inside the building short of engaging in a firefight and drawing even more attention to themselves.

Skidding to a halt, the entrance into the building loomed before her. Well…she'd been worried about her wife and now here SHE was about to go into an abandoned building in the dark. Feeling plasma beginning to course through her, Shego dug into one of her inner jacket pockets and pulled out Wade's night vision glasses. The pitch black environment was now bathed in an eerie orange glow; yet another wondrous gift to compliment the shut-in on. With plasma powers on a hair trigger, Shego took those first steps into the Lion's den, ready for anything.

"I don't know where you are, Harper, but you might want to consider making a positive life choice and just telling me what I want to know."

"Ah yes," The bastards had set up a speaker system. "Edward has of course told us about you, Shego Possible, a woman of infinite potential, a living nightmare to her enemies, now nothing more than a domesticated terrier, doing tricks at the feet of the influential and privileged for whatever pitiful bone they might bestow upon you. I had hoped that the fools at Global 'Justice'," Harper put all the mockery possible into that word, "would send you…and that pretender you managed to oh so thoroughly violate; my compliments on that piece of work."

This bitch was REALLY going to get it! She…at the same time, that moment when the Project Cradle device made contact with Kimmie was the greatest and worst moment in her life. She'd never breathed a word of it to Kim, Mom…Hell; she'd never breathed a word of it to ANYONE. That rainy night so many years ago…Drakken had violated not only Kimmie but Shego as well and…and if Kim had turned her away, she…Shego wouldn't have been able to…she…she would've been so crushed that…if this bitch actually thought that she could talk like that, Shego was going to bring down a hurt so painful that William of Orange would feel it! Rounding a corner, Shego peeked up a flight of stairs.

"Yeah, go ahead and show yourself," She growled, trotting up the steps and coming to a halt at the landing. "I'll show you exactly what your compliments mean to me."

And so it went, through another three floors, Shego had no choice but to listen to Harper's drivel and taunts. Even in her darkest days as a villain, Shego had had no appreciation for ANY laws whatsoever but…Anarchists were just plain nuts. They…all they wanted was chaos, like Nero watching Rome burn to the ground. And this woman was certainly no exception. Terrier had been the least of the insults. Under circumstances, "bowlegged strumpet of the affluent and corpulent Bourgeoisie" might have made her blush a little. And what was with the Marxist rhetoric? Even Communists Shego could SOMEWHAT understand…and Anarchists always seemed to fall into that mannerism, never mind that Marxism STILL was a form of government.

Shego came to a halt at the landing of the fourth floor. Okay…the bay windows facing the street looked to be intact…and the rooftops of the buildings opposite them. Hardison had to have gotten help by now…

…_ZAPPPPPPP…_

The pain was utterly excruciating! Without warning, a blinding light was triggered, sending Shego's night vision into overdrive. Her hands darted to her face, ripping the glasses off, but the damage was done. The sudden appearance of light would've made her vision all cattywompus by itself but the glasses…for the moment, she was blinded, scrambling around, looking for something…ANYTHING to find orientation. Harper had been running her mouth off for TOO long! That woman was GOING to get a beating, even if it wasn't Shego who gave it to…Shego felt two pairs of hands grab her by the shoulders and haul her up. So the little minions wanted to play with fire, did they? Plasma began sparking and…and their grip still held firm; fireproof gloves; seriously? Well, Shego was far from helpless without her meta-human powers and she and Kim had done plenty of training fighting blind. Her right leg tensed and…

…_THUMP…_

Something hammered against the back of Shego's head, dazing her and rapidly quenching the plasma. With the night vision glasses long since lost, her eyes began to adjust, revealing the figure that had been Shego's pursuit. Harper looked as if she'd just been plucked out of the file photo, scars and all. And that snake-like grin on her face just dripped with satisfaction and arrogance. Nothing Shego or her sweetheart hadn't seen at least a million times before. Ironically, Shego knew very well that she'd been just as guilty of that little villain faux pau with Kimmie. But…it wasn't just the satisfaction that Shego detected. With that grin…and those predatory eyes…it almost felt like…wait a minute! Was she…did Harper…wow; all of a sudden Shego felt like a filet mignon steak being gawked at by an Atkins junkie!

"I must admit to being rather disappointed," Harper almost seemed to purr. "I've followed your career as a villain for many years and I wouldn't have expected the mighty Shego to be caught so easily."

"Well sorry to disappoint but you know what they say. You should never meet your heroes…or I guess in your case, your crushes." Her vision was still a little fuzzy but she could make out the quirk of an eyebrow on her adversary's face. You took your victories where you could get them in a situation like this. "Besides, unless you've been living under a rock for what…sixteen years…you should know that my tastes incline more towards perky redheads. And the last woman who tried to keep us apart wound up on the losing end of a katana with my redheaded princess."

"Oh I am quite aware of your exploits, Shego. And I'm not ashamed to admit that the interference of you two posed quite a puzzle for our organization. At least it did…until your lovely redhead tried to get between Edward Lipsky and our target in Phoenix."

They…Kim had…

"Such a pity that you lost your way; I must say the thought of seeing that exquisite form of yours in a bikini on our special Hawaiian excursion is deeply stirring; but with your wife now out of the way, we must turn our attentions to her bleeding heart mentor and…"

"Shego…" the voice in the earpiece cut like a knife through the scenarios playing through her mind. "Left goon in three…two…one…NOW!"

…_CLINK…_

Shego felt the goon on her right's hand slide off as he crumpled to the ground. Whatever was going on, that was all the opening she needed. Plasma cascaded outward like the epicenter of a sun, bathing the rundown room in shimmering light. Slipping out of his grasp, Shego's leg shot outward, tripping the unsuspecting henchman, and dropping him to the ground. Before he even hit the ground, Shego grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hammered him to the wood floor. These fuckers had done…SOMETHING to her Kimmie, put her in some kind of danger! Her right fist connected with his sternum and her let hammered into his ribs.

HARPER! This piece of shit was only a pawn. Shego spun around…to where Harper had only too recently been standing. N…NO! SHE HAD HARPER IN HER GRASP! Kim was…Kim was already struggling and these monsters had…all that remained was the henchman.

"WHERE IS SHE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY WIFE? SPILL YOUR GUTS OR BY GOD I'LL DO IT FOR YOU AND…"

"SHEGO," Parker's voice was like a hook digging into Shego, pulling her out of her bloodlust. "Shego, Kim escaped. She's okay. But we NEED this man alive!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Well…even a streaking bullet could still be susceptible to a dislocated shoulder or a broken wrist. Whatever Global Justice was putting in their C4 mixture these days…Kim had to congratulate the lab techs on that one. For such a small quantity, that little pellet sure produced quite a bang. The turbocharger had to have been vaporized…who knew what happened to Motor Ed. Kim remembered hitting the ground a little LESS than gracefully and was quickly snatched up by an utterly relieved Nate and Elliot, looking like he was on the verge of tears as it was. Their reunion was short-lived as a fleet of Arizona State Police and even a few Army National Guard vehicles descended on their location, rapidly making way when they realized exactly who it was that had escaped the vehicle. The questions for Nate and Elliot were quickly forgotten after a few calls to Betty and the trio quickly found themselves on a transport to the Global Justice facility outside Flagstaff.

"I can't imagine a big strong gal like you having a problem with pain," The base physician, Dr. Mortimer, replied, handing Kim a piece of paper. "But I'm writing you a prescription for 5mm of Norco. Take one a day if the pain gets too bad. You can take the sling off when you shower but no more."

"Uh, Doctor," One of the nurses ducked into the room, his eyes as big as saucers. "D…Doctor Director is here…to see Kim Possible."

Betty sure didn't waste any time getting here. Kim hopped off the bed…receiving a minor protest from her left wrist…thanked the doctor and came face to face with Betty as she left the infirmary. Betty gave an eye roll dripping in clichéd irony and thumped her old comrade on the back, the two heading for the nearest conference room, likely for a debriefing. Once there, Betty held the door for Kim and was quickly greeted by the smiling face of Elliot.

"They clip you too bad, Little Red?"

"Oh brother; Elliot, I'm 34! It's been twenty years!" Thank heavens he was so likable; otherwise Kim…or now that they were married, Shego…would've put his head through a wall. "Where's Nate?"

"Mr. Ford's nerves were a little shaken so one of the nurses gave him a sedative to let him sleep it off," Betty gestured to the open seat next to Elliot. Kim plopped down and looked to Betty to begin. "So by all witnessed accounts, I assume whatever Motor Ed was after was destroyed in that explosion three thousand feet above I-10?"

"Yeah…sorry about that; my C4 pellet was the first thing that came to mind back there," Kim could feel herself going about a dozen different shades of red. "The mission started off according to plan. Nate and I made it into the R&D center and…well…you know the rest. Motor Ed blew a hole in the wall and I must've been cold cocked over the head in the process. I came to a few minutes later, inside whatever that contraption was he slapped together."

"Well, if we couldn't interrogate Motor Ed, at least we deprived him of his objective," Betty heaved a resounded sigh.

"I wouldn't be so quick to get depressed Bets. As it happened, Ed didn't have anyone watching me that closely so I managed to overhear a few tidbits. Ed was bragging about the next phase of the operation. It had something to do with Maui and Ed was excited because he'd be spending time with his girlfriend or lover."

Betty took on a quizzical look. Kim knew that face. The wheels in Betty's head were turning and something in what was just said seemed to click. Maybe Shego's team had managed to uncover something in Canberra. Oh Lord; Shego! Betty had to have the sense not to tell Shego about this! Well…either of them would've rushed to the other's aid if they were in trouble…but Eme, bless her heart, had always been the more protective one…and the quickest to take it personally when one of her old associates made a move against Kim. Kim had never…well…anyone stupid enough to try to grab a meta-human who could hurl plasma, married to Kim or not…simply put, she had never had to put herself in that mindset. Shego Possible was a force of nature, KIM'S force of nature. The closest Kim had ever come to…that…was when a LITERAL force of nature intervened.

"I just got word from Shego before I came to get you. She mentioned the same thing, an incursion into Maui supposedly to 'take care of' Mr. Ford…"

It…they…they wouldn't…would they? Kim's mind flashed back to the last image she had of Sophie, a devoted and thoroughly suburbanized mother…and little Eliza, every inch a child of the great Nate Ford and Sophie Devereaux. Her mentors had finally settled down and built the life that they both so thoroughly deserved, the same kind of life that Kim and Shego had built together. And Scarlet Crane was now…and they were going to do God knew what to…

"Kim," Kim blinked as Betty snapped her fingers in front of Kim's face. "Snap out of it!"

"I…Betty, tell me you…"

"Don't worry," Betty sat back in her seat. "I issued the orders before coming to get you. Credible threat or not, I'm putting Mrs. Ford and their daughter under protection. With Scarlet Crane involved, we're not going to take any chances. There's a GJ Destroyer off the coast of the island that should be more than adequate to protect them. Shego was already nearly seven hours in the air when she contacted me. By now…if she's pushing the throttle as I expect she is, with the type of jet they're flying in, they should be landing within in Maui within three hours."

Okay…they'd be safe with Eme on the case…much as she wanted to be there herself. Betty must've been able to sense what was coming and flashed Kim daggers for eyes. Every fiber of her being screamed out an objection to leaving a job undone but…Kim and Shego were hesitant at best to employ Gracie's still developing meta-human healing abilities. Betty WAS an Aunt to Gracie, she'd do anything to keep Gracie from harm…but Kim spontaneously recovering WOULD raise question that she…didn't have the strength or desire to fend off. She'd…she'd contact Abby and have her go in Kim's place, leaving the tikes to Kim and…damn it; why did she sound like she was trying to convince herself of something?

"There's no use objecting Kim. It would be the ultimate in irresponsible actions for me to send you out into the field in your condition AND for you to even TRY going out into the field. You're going home for some R&R with your kids. Even with Scarlet Crane at large, the world can survive a few weeks while you recover and take some time to decompress. Take the twins to a movie, why don't you?"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Okay…this was the moment of truth. Mom and Momma had been gone nearly a week on their respective missions, during which time the JV Basketball tryouts hade come and gone. Gracie and Mary had been putting their bodies through their paces. Even Gracie, a brown belt holder in Aikido, brown with one black stripe in Shotokan, and was ready to take her black belt qualifications in Judo, felt sore. But tryouts had gone well…at least they both HOPED they did. She…she felt like she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep all week, all leading up to the results being posted Friday at school. And now…oh man; her legs felt like they were cased in clay. She…she'd survived crashes, gone toe to toe in an F22 Raptor with a fleet of drones in the skies above Montreal, heck, she'd fought in SKYRIM for heaven sake. And right now, she felt more nervous than she could ever remember.

"I…I…I can't look," Gracie could feel her whole body stiffen and her eyelids slid shut. "Just…just tell me."

Seconds went by without a word being spoken. Why…why didn't Mary just tell her? Oh God…she didn't make the team? Was…was Mary trying to spare her feelings because she'd made the team and Gracie hadn't? Her eyes shot open and…

…_Grace Possible, Forward…_

…_Mary Stewart, Point Guard…_

She…they…?

"YYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!"

THEY…HAD…DONE…IT! As of right now, Grace Anne Possible and Mary Carina Steward were representatives of the Middleton High School JV Lady Mad Dogs. And that was only the beginning! Next was Varsity and…

"I thought I heard a little commotion out here," Coach Anita Schwartz poked her head out of the gymnasium.

"Coach Schwartz…we…I…we swear you won't regret this," She…she was…walking on air. Right now, Gracie felt like she could FLOAT up to the basket. "I…"

"Hey, you ladies were two of the strongest out there. There's nothing more to say. Now," Why did she have her hand behind her back? "Normally the team has to wait until first practice but…I figure since you're both here, you guys can take these." Coach Schwartz pulled…UNIFORMS! And they had their names on them?

"You know," Gracie sighed as the pair walked out to the school parking lot. "You and I make this look GOOD!"

The brisk autumn air caught the pair as Mary spotted her Dad and bid the old friend goodbye. Gracie looked at her watch. If memory served, Grandma was supposed to be picking her and the twins up today and…wait a minute. A Chevy Traverse that looked suspiciously like Mom's was heading down School Street…and the flowing red hair that she shared with her mother was unmistakable. Last thing Gracie knew, Mom was supposed to be in Phoenix. What was she doing back already?

"Hey Mom," she gasped, opening the door. "What are you…" Oh man; her arm was in a sling! "Mom, what…what happened?"

"Ah, just a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist," Weird; Mom really DID act like it was no big deal. Gracie was all too aware of the toll the human body could take but…man, Mom and Momma WERE practically indestructible. "Riding the wake of a C4 explosion might not have been the best of decisions to stop Motor Ed. But crippled wing or no, I do believe I see my daughter wearing a Middleton Lady Mad Dogs basketball jersey."

Wha…whoa! Gracie had completely forgotten!

"It was totally SPANKIN, Mom. Coach Schwartz said me and Mary were the strongest try-outs! Now, we just gotta make first string!"

"Well, I'm just proud of you for making the team, muffin. Revel in THAT victory for a while before you set your sights higher. Now, let's go pick up your sisters."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Well...this wasn't something that Kim would ever get used to…or that she ever WANTED to get used to. In the old days, she had pregnancy as an excuse for resenting being left behind but…somehow a dislocated shoulder didn't SEEM like enough of a reason to stay behind. And if she was perfectly honest with herself…being alone in this bed sucked. How did Shego do it? It…it wasn't like they hadn't spent nights apart, for work or…well, Kim had been the one on missions more often in recent years. But…Kim glanced at the bedside alarm clock for the umpteenth time. 2:30 in the morning?

"Well…I'm experienced enough to know a losing battle when I see one," The sheets were kicked back and a pair of well-toned legs hit the carpeted floor. Shego should've landed in hours ago and by now should have Sophie and Eliza where Scarlet Crane could never get near them…so why was sleep absolutely beyond her? She'd polished off a pot of coffee before and not been this wired.

In the darkness of the living room, the nightlight in the living room, the stove light over the kitchen, each one was bright as day. The twins and Nicky were asleep so she dared not turn on any other lights. She snagged a cranberry juice and carefully stepped through the living room to the workroom. She needed something to keep her mind busy. The firing range was attached to the workroom and completely sound-proof. Many a time did Kim walk in on Abby sampling the armory, sometimes when she and Seamus were in the middle of a fight, sometimes for no reason at all; there WAS something…therapeutic…about firing off a few rounds. That had practically been Abby's mantra before Brady had been born.

Kim entered her access code and the wall slid back, revealing a variety of assault weapons and side-arms. Activating the mobile racks, the modern weapons were quickly replaced by Kim's private supply of weapons of a more historical nature. Here, the most modern weapon hadn't seen action since the Spanish American War. Right now, she need something to focus on so…her hand clasped maple finish of the 1748 Hawkin flintlock pistol modeled after George Washington's personal sidearm. That and her Volcanic repeater seemed like the ticket. After digging out Great Grandpa Carpenter's WWI-era gas mask bag, a gift from Nanna that served as her possibility bag, the pistol was loaded and Kim had zeroed in on the center of the bull's eye. Loading a flintlock with one hand wasn't exactly easy.

"Eme, love of my life and mother of my children, you'd better come back soon or I can't promise I won't come after you, dislocated shoulder or no."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

Thank God for small mercies! Under normal circumstances, Shego and Kim would've laughed it off if Ed had managed to hold on to her for more than a few hours but…these circumstances were anything but normal. And who would've thought that Shego would've been THANKFUL to see her Princess with a dislocated shoulder? The fireball could have broken both her legs and arms and still would've attempted to fight back…but maybe New Zealand HAD managed to have a silver lining. After what happened to Gracie, Betty wasn't about to take any chances. She hadn't exactly said the words but if any of Team Possible wasn't at 100%, then they weren't going ANYWHERE for Global Justice. The talk she'd shared with Betty on the plane to New Zealand was still fresh in Shego's mind, heart wrenching guilt and all. She just wished Betty wouldn't blame herself so much for whatever misfortune that befell Shego and Kim's family. That was just a hazard of the job for her and Kim.

"Any word on Kim?"

Parker's voice snapped Shego out of her internal musings and back to the pre-dawn sky before her. "Motor Ed scored a lucky hit and captured Kimmie but she managed to escape in her usual showy fashion. She actually managed to blow up the turbocharger while parachuting from a couple thousand feet up but still managed to break her wrist and dislocate her shoulder."

"Wow…you sure you're okay to go on this next mission? I mean, we'd totally understand if you'd want to head back to Middleton to check on her."

"You know, you'd think I'd be a little freaked out but…I feel better knowing that she's back home and not party to this," Betty had been made aware of Shego's fears for her wife and Kim had seemed open to the idea of sitting down with Dr. Archibald. Maybe now, she'd actually be able to do it. "Can I be honest with you, Parker?" The blonde former cat burglar quickly nodded. "To tell the truth, I'm kind of worried about Kim. Back before this started, we kind of had a family argument and it seemed like Kim was still having trouble coming to grips with Gracie's accident in New Zealand. And when you guys…well…let's say when you 'rescued' me, we find out about this new global threat and it's almost like it's the farthest thing from her mind. I love Kim more than life itself and I know the feelings are mutual but…she's always taken something of that magnitude seriously. Right now, Middleton is just the safer place for her, I think. Besides," Shego let out a small chuckle. "Not only would Kim never forgive me if I didn't go help Sophie and Eliza, I have this sneaking suspicion that Sophie's ghost would settle into my walk-in closet and haunt my wardrobe."

By full sunrise, the plan was within range of the Hawaiian Islands and Shego had begun their descent. Thankfully, the Possible family had more than a few favors and several connections with Joint Base Pearl Harbor so they'd have rapid access to whatever they needed immediately upon arrival. The jet touched down and was immediately guided to the nearest available space. Shego, Parker, and Hardison had already worked out the plan on the way over and upon exiting the plane, were greeted by none other than Lieutenant SG Hank Murphy, Billy's eldest brother and one of Shego's best students. A graduate of the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Hank had elected to follow in his father's footsteps and was a career MP with the Navy's Special Response Team.

"So you're a Senior Grade now, Hank?" Shego smirked as she handed her gear to a waiting non-comm. "About time the Navy wised up."

"Thanks, Mrs. P," Good grief; that boy had to have the most charming smile ever seen on a male. He was every inch the dashing soldier. "Although if it hadn't been for your letter of recommendation…"

A Jeep came to a screeching halt next to the party and a frantic messenger scrambled out, snapping to attention before Hank.

Hank returned the salute, prompting the messenger to continue. "Sir, Admiral Ortega's orders; we just lost all contact with Maui. She needs all of you to follow me to command!"

Wha…how? How could Ed or Harper have beaten them…they needed to know what was happening on that island!

_Author's Notes:_

_The Possible family, especially Kim, is about to go through some serious soul searching. They're about to go through the Crucible. But they'll come out the other side. We always emerge from our own ashes. Everything always emerges in its…changed form (love that book and hats off to any who know it)._


End file.
